---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To some extent the romantic condemnation…"
description: "\"“To some extent the romantic condemnation of rationality stems from the very effectiveness of rationality in uplifting men from primitive conditions.”\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/robert-m-pirsig-817_cause-and-effect_to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation_1400554.png"
---

#  To some extent the romantic condemnation of rationality…

![“To some extent the romantic condemnation of rationality stems from the very effectiveness of rationality in uplifting men from primitive conditions.” quote by Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/robert-m-pirsig-817_cause-and-effect_to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation_1400554.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/robert-m-pirsig-817_cause-and-effect_to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation_1400554.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/robert-m-pirsig-817_cause-and-effect_to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation_1400554.png)

> ““To some extent the romantic condemnation of rationality stems from the very effectiveness of rationality in uplifting men from primitive conditions.””

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Rationality is praised because it lifts humanity from primitive states, yet it can be romantically condemned.

**In simple terms:** Rationality helps progress but is sometimes criticized.

Key Takeaway

Recognize both the power and limits of rational thought.

Themes

rationality progress criticism philosophy

Mood

analytical critical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- education reform
- technology adoption
- policy making

Key Concepts

epistemology human development romanticism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does rationality shape society?
- When is irrationality valuable?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on logic can ignore emotions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cause and effect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause-and-effect/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Rationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rationality/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/)

## Related quotes

> [Dialectic, which is the parent of logic, came itself from rhetoric. Rhetoric is in turn the child of the myths and poetry of ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/dialectic-which-is-the-parent-of-logic-came-itself-from-rhetoric/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [A motorcycle functions entirely in accordance with the laws of reason, and a study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/a-motorcycle-functions-entirely-in-accordance-with-the-laws-of-reason/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [Talk about rationality can get very confusing unless the things with which rationality deals are also included.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/talk-about-rationality-can-get-very-confusing-unless-the-things-with/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [What is essential to understand at this point is that until now there was no such thing as mind and matter, subject and object,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/what-is-essential-to-understand-at-this-point-is-that-until-now-there/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [It was the ghost of rationality itself ... This is the ghost of normal everyday assumptions which declares that the ultimate purpose of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/it-was-the-ghost-of-rationality-itself-this-is-the-ghost-of-normal/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [The study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself. Working on a motorcycle, working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-study-of-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-is-really-a-miniature/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [I think this fear of insanity is comparable to the fear people once had of falling off the edge of the world. Or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/i-think-this-fear-of-insanity-is-comparable-to-the-fear-people-once/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [“If Quality were dropped, only rationality would remain unchanged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/if-quality-were-dropped-only-rationality-would-remain-unchanged/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [The number of hypotheses available to explain any given phenomenon is infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-number-of-hypotheses-available-to-explain-any-given-phenomenon-is/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [“What’s emerging from the pattern of my own life is the for belief that the crisis is being caused by the inadequacy of existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/what-s-emerging-from-the-pattern-of-my-own-life-is-the-for-belief/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [Nearest to all things is that power which fashions their being. Next to us the grandest laws are constantly being executed. Next to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nearest-to-all-things-is-that-power-which-fashions-their-being-next/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“. . . chronosophy does involve ethics. Because our sense of time involves our ability to separate cause and effect, means and end. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/chronosophy-does-involve-ethics-because-our-sense-of-time-involves/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [“One of the protestor's sign catches my eye. HOMISEXUALITY IS THE DEVIL'S WORK, it says. And once again I think about how people use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/one-of-the-protestor-s-sign-catches-my-eye-homisexuality-is-the-devil/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“One cannot change his current life span but one can change his next life form. The ticket can be changed but death cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/one-cannot-change-his-current-life-span-but-one-can-change-his-next/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/)

[Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/)

## More by Robert M. Pirsig

> [“And from time to time you find your “county road” takes you onto a two-rutter and then a single rutter and then into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/and-from-time-to-time-you-find-your-county-road-takes-you-onto-a-two/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [“I started to roll over for more sleep but heard a rooster crowing and then became aware we are on vacation and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/i-started-to-roll-over-for-more-sleep-but-heard-a-rooster-crowing-and/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [The Buddha, the Godhead, resides quite as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-buddha-the-godhead-resides-quite-as-comfortably-in-the-circuits/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [Even though quality cannot be defined, you know what quality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/even-though-quality-cannot-be-defined-you-know-what-quality-is/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [I suppose philosophy is historically not a woman's game, though that is changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/i-suppose-philosophy-is-historically-not-a-woman-s-game-though-that/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [Up until my first book was published, I had all this potential, people would say, and I screwed up. After it, I could say:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/up-until-my-first-book-was-published-i-had-all-this-potential-people/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [There is a perennial classical question that asks which part of the motorcycle, which grain of sand in which pile, is the Buddha. Obviously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/there-is-a-perennial-classical-question-that-asks-which-part-of-the/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [“Of the value traps, the most widespread and pernicious is value rigidity. This is an inability to revalue what one sees because of commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/of-the-value-traps-the-most-widespread-and-pernicious-is-value/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [“Historically mystics have claimed that for a true understanding of reality metaphysics is too “scientific”. Metaphysics is not reality. Metaphysics is names about reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/historically-mystics-have-claimed-that-for-a-true-understanding-of/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [“What’s emerging from the pattern of my own life is the for belief that the crisis is being caused by the inadequacy of existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/what-s-emerging-from-the-pattern-of-my-own-life-is-the-for-belief/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [To speak of certain government and establishment institutions as 'the system' is to speak correctly . . . They are sustained by structural relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/to-speak-of-certain-government-and-establishment-institutions-as-the/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [If a revolution destroys a systematic government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/if-a-revolution-destroys-a-systematic-government-but-the-systematic/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-only-zen-you-can-find-on-the-tops-of-mountains-is-the-zen-you/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [Only social patterns can control biological patterns, and the instrument of conversation between society and biology is not words. The instrument of conversation between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/only-social-patterns-can-control-biological-patterns-and-the/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [Even in the presence of others he was completely alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/even-in-the-presence-of-others-he-was-completely-alone/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

[Explore all 351 Robert M. Pirsig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

## More Cause and effect quotes

> [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/)

[Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/)

> [“One cannot change his current life span but one can change his next life form. The ticket can be changed but death cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/one-cannot-change-his-current-life-span-but-one-can-change-his-next/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“One of the protestor's sign catches my eye. HOMISEXUALITY IS THE DEVIL'S WORK, it says. And once again I think about how people use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/one-of-the-protestor-s-sign-catches-my-eye-homisexuality-is-the-devil/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“. . . chronosophy does involve ethics. Because our sense of time involves our ability to separate cause and effect, means and end. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/chronosophy-does-involve-ethics-because-our-sense-of-time-involves/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [Nearest to all things is that power which fashions their being. Next to us the grandest laws are constantly being executed. Next to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nearest-to-all-things-is-that-power-which-fashions-their-being-next/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“There are two types of purushartha (self effort): those with wrong beliefs have self effort (purusharth) with illusory vision and the enlightened one’s have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/there-are-two-types-of-purushartha-self-effort-those-with-wrong/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [The Law of Karma is also called the Law of Cause and Effect, Action and Reaction and also as you sow, so shall you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sham-hinduja/the-law-of-karma-is-also-called-the-law-of-cause-and-effect-action/)

[Sham Hinduja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sham-hinduja/)

> [Soft fantasy worlds have a much looser cause-and-effect relationship. Alchemists can turn lead into gold and nobody wonders about how it will impact the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/soft-fantasy-worlds-have-a-much-looser-cause-and-effect-relationship/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. Mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/cause-and-effect-is-as-absolute-and-undeviating-in-the-hidden-realm/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [In Lullabies, I wanted to capture what I remembered of the drunken babbling of unfortunate twelve-year-olds: their illusions, their ludicrously bad choices, their lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-neill/in-lullabies-i-wanted-to-capture-what-i-remembered-of-the-drunken/)

[Heather O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-neill/)

> [“When people conclude that anger causes abuse, they are confusing cause and effect. Ray was not abusive because he was angry; he was angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lundy-bancroft/when-people-conclude-that-anger-causes-abuse-they-are-confusing-cause/)

[Lundy Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lundy-bancroft/)

> [“I think this is one bad side of a mirror; it helps us to see the reflection of the effects of our own actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/i-think-this-is-one-bad-side-of-a-mirror-it-helps-us-to-see-the/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [“Whatever firm decisions (nischaya) you have made; only those will bear fruit. You do not have to do anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/whatever-firm-decisions-nischaya-you-have-made-only-those-will-bear/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Vanity is illustrated in the cause and effect of love, as in the case of Cleopatra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/vanity-is-illustrated-in-the-cause-and-effect-of-love-as-in-the-case/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The cultivation - even celebration - of victimhood by intellectuals, tort lawyers, politicians and the media is both cause and effect of today's culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-cultivation-even-celebration-of-victimhood-by-intellectuals-tort/)

[George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/)

[Browse all 519 Cause and effect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause-and-effect/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To some extent the romantic condemnation of rationality stems from the very effectiveness of rationality in uplifting men from primitive conditions.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert M. Pirsig"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation-of-rationality-stems-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cause and effect"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation-of-rationality-stems-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/robert-m-pirsig-817_cause-and-effect_to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation_1400554.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/robert-m-pirsig-817_cause-and-effect_to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation_1400554.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/robert-m-pirsig-817_cause-and-effect_to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation_1400554.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To some extent the romantic condemnation of rationality stems from the very effectiveness of rationality in…” — Robert M. Pirsig",
                "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": "Robert M. Pirsig",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To some extent the romantic condemnation...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation-of-rationality-stems-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/to-some-extent-the-romantic-condemnation-of-rationality-stems-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
