--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be rational, a person must have…" description: "\"“To be rational, a person must have well-calibrated beliefs and must act appropriately on those beliefs to achieve goals-both properties of the reflect..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/keith-e-stanovich-33707_faith_to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-c_2311945.jpg" --- # To be rational, a person must have well-calibrated beliefs… ![“To be rational, a person must have well-calibrated beliefs and must act appropriately on those beliefs to achieve goals-both properties of the reflective mind. The person must, of course, have the algorithmic-level machinery that enables him or her to carry out the actions and to process the…” quote by Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/keith-e-stanovich-33707_faith_to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-c_2311945.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/keith-e-stanovich-33707_faith_to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-c_2311945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/keith-e-stanovich-33707_faith_to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-c_2311945.jpg) > ““To be rational, a person must have well-calibrated beliefs and must act appropriately on those beliefs to achieve goals-both properties of the reflective mind. The person must, of course, have the algorithmic-level machinery that enables him or her to carry out the actions and to process the environment in a way that enables the correct beliefs to be fixed and the correct actions to be taken. Thus, individual differences in rational thought and action can arise because of individual differences in intelligence (the algorithmic mind) or because of individual differences in thinking dispositions (the reflective mind). To put it simply, the concept of rationality encompasses two things (thinking dispositions of the reflective mind and algorithmic-level efficiency) whereas the concept of intelligence-at least as it is commonly operationalized-is largely confined to algorithmic-level efficiency.”” [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rationality involves both accurate beliefs and appropriate actions, requiring reflective thinking and algorithmic efficiency; intelligence mainly reflects algorithmic ability. **In simple terms:** Rationality = good beliefs + good actions; intelligence = processing speed. Key Takeaway Cultivate both reflective thinking and cognitive skills. Themes rationality intelligence thinking action Mood analytical inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - making decisions - solving problems - learning new skills Key Concepts reflective mind algorithmic efficiency belief calibration Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance belief accuracy with action? - Can you improve reflective thinking without increasing raw intelligence? A Different Perspective Intelligence alone doesn't guarantee rational behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Individual differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-differences/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rational thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational-thought/) [Rationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rationality/) ## Related quotes > [“Substantial empirical evidence indicates that individual differences in thinking dispositions and intelligence are far from perfectly correlated. Many different studies involving thousands of subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/substantial-empirical-evidence-indicates-that-individual-differences/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“.It is asking a great deal of a man, who has learnt to regulate his everyday affairs in accordance with the rules of experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-is-asking-a-great-deal-of-a-man-who-has-learnt-to-regulate-his/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Baptize yourself with the flow of rational thinking and the world is bound to become rational.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/baptize-yourself-with-the-flow-of-rational-thinking-and-the-world-is/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Life is fundamentally a mental state. We live in a dream world that we create. Whose life is truer, the rational man of action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-fundamentally-a-mental-state-we-live-in-a-dream-world-that-we/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“It seems perverse to define intelligence as including rationality when no existing IQ test measures any such thing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/it-seems-perverse-to-define-intelligence-as-including-rationality/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“Cognitive scientists recognize two types of rationality: instrumental and epistemic. The simplest definition of instrumental rationality-the one that emphasizes most that it is grounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/cognitive-scientists-recognize-two-types-of-rationality-instrumental/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“There is voluminous evidence that exclusive reliance on heuristic processing tendencies of Type I sometimes results in suboptimal responding (Baron, 2008; Evans, 2007a; Gilovich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/there-is-voluminous-evidence-that-exclusive-reliance-on-heuristic/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/nothing-other-people-do-is-because-of-you-it-is-because-of-themselves-2/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“…I’ve seen the world tell us with wars and real estate developments and bad politics and odd court decisions that our lives don’t matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/i-ve-seen-the-world-tell-us-with-wars-and-real-estate-developments/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [ “They \[progressives\] are men and women who tend to believe that the human being is perfectible and social progress predictable, and that the instrument… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-progressives-are-men-and-women-who-tend-to-believe-that-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once we have made generous latitude for individual differences and schedules, we must firmly discipline ourselves to a regular pattern of prayer. We cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/once-we-have-made-generous-latitude-for-individual-differences-and/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [See God in everyone. It is deception to teach by individual differences and karma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neem-karoli-baba/see-god-in-everyone-it-is-deception-to-teach-by-individual/) [Neem Karoli Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neem-karoli-baba/) > [Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start. Inquiring about a difference is like asking to borrow string when you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hsu-yun/saints-and-ordinary-folks-are-the-same-from-the-start-inquiring-about/) Hsu Yun > [The challenge for the church is how do we have unity about basic beliefs and yet respect individual differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-leahy/the-challenge-for-the-church-is-how-do-we-have-unity-about-basic/) [William P. Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-leahy/) > [Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hannah/tolerance-and-celebration-of-individual-differences-is-the-fire-that/) Tom Hannah ## More by Keith E. Stanovich > [“Jack is looking at Anne but Anne is looking at George. Jack is married but George is not. Is a married person looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/jack-is-looking-at-anne-but-anne-is-looking-at-george-jack-is-married/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“Humans are cognitive misers because their basic tendency is to default to Type I processing mechanisms of low computational expense. Using less computational capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/humans-are-cognitive-misers-because-their-basic-tendency-is-to/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“In order to override Type i processing, Type 2 processing must display at least two related capabilities. One is the capability of interrupting Type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/in-order-to-override-type-i-processing-type-2-processing-must-display/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“More intelligent people appear to reason better only when you tell them in advance what good thinking is!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/more-intelligent-people-appear-to-reason-better-only-when-you-tell/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“Adaptive decision making is the quintessence of rationality, but the items used to assess intelligence on widely accepted tests bear no resemblance to measures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/adaptive-decision-making-is-the-quintessence-of-rationality-but-the/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“One study demonstrated that people's evaluation of a situation where they might receive a shock is insensitive to the probability of receiving the shock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/one-study-demonstrated-that-people-s-evaluation-of-a-situation-where/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“The defining feature of Type r processing is its autonomy. Type r processes are termed autonomous because: r) their execution is rapid, 2) their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/the-defining-feature-of-type-r-processing-is-its-autonomy-type-r/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“There is voluminous evidence that exclusive reliance on heuristic processing tendencies of Type I sometimes results in suboptimal responding (Baron, 2008; Evans, 2007a; Gilovich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/there-is-voluminous-evidence-that-exclusive-reliance-on-heuristic/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“When a high IQ-test score is accompanied by subpar performance in some other domain, this is thought "surprising," and a new disability category is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/when-a-high-iq-test-score-is-accompanied-by-subpar-performance-in/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“Cognitive scientists recognize two types of rationality: instrumental and epistemic. The simplest definition of instrumental rationality-the one that emphasizes most that it is grounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/cognitive-scientists-recognize-two-types-of-rationality-instrumental/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“In cognitive science, the tendency to give different responses to problems that have surface dissimilarities but that are really formally identical is termed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/in-cognitive-science-the-tendency-to-give-different-responses-to/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“Substantial empirical evidence indicates that individual differences in thinking dispositions and intelligence are far from perfectly correlated. Many different studies involving thousands of subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/substantial-empirical-evidence-indicates-that-individual-differences/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) > [“It seems perverse to define intelligence as including rationality when no existing IQ test measures any such thing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/it-seems-perverse-to-define-intelligence-as-including-rationality/) [Keith E. Stanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) [Explore all 14 Keith E. Stanovich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/) ## More Faith quotes > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/) Matt Morris (1 > [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. The eternal truths of the Kingdom aren’t altered or affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/just-because-your-faith-is-shaken-doesn-t-mean-the-faith-is-shaken/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) [Browse all 37,796 Faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To be rational, a person must have well-calibrated beliefs and must act appropriately on those beliefs to achieve goals-both properties of the reflective mind. The person must, of course, have the algorithmic-level machinery that enables him or her to carry out the actions and to process the environment in a way that enables the correct beliefs to be fixed and the correct actions to be taken. Thus, individual differences in rational thought and action can arise because of individual differences in intelligence (the algorithmic mind) or because of individual differences in thinking dispositions (the reflective mind). To put it simply, the concept of rationality encompasses two things (thinking dispositions of the reflective mind and algorithmic-level efficiency) whereas the concept of intelligence-at least as it is commonly operationalized-is largely confined to algorithmic-level efficiency.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Keith E. Stanovich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-calibrated-beliefs-and-must/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Faith" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-calibrated-beliefs-and-must/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/keith-e-stanovich-33707_faith_to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-c_2311945.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/keith-e-stanovich-33707_faith_to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-c_2311945.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/keith-e-stanovich-33707_faith_to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-c_2311945.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be rational, a person must have well-calibrated beliefs and must act appropriately on those beliefs to…” — Keith E. Stanovich", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Keith E. Stanovich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-e-stanovich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To be rational, a person must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-calibrated-beliefs-and-must/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-e-stanovich/to-be-rational-a-person-must-have-well-calibrated-beliefs-and-must/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```