--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The indispensability of reason does not…" description: "\"The indispensability of reason does not imply that individual people are always rational or are unswayed by passion and illusion. It only means that pe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/steven-pinker-526_capable_the-indispensability-of-reason-does-not_1515235.jpg" --- # The indispensability of reason does not imply that… ![“The indispensability of reason does not imply that individual people are always rational or are unswayed by passion and illusion. It only means that people are capable of reason, and that a community of people who choose to perfect this faculty and to exercise it openly and fairly can collectively…” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/steven-pinker-526_capable_the-indispensability-of-reason-does-not_1515235.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/steven-pinker-526_capable_the-indispensability-of-reason-does-not_1515235.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/steven-pinker-526_capable_the-indispensability-of-reason-does-not_1515235.jpg) > “The indispensability of reason does not imply that individual people are always rational or are unswayed by passion and illusion. It only means that people are capable of reason, and that a community of people who choose to perfect this faculty and to exercise it openly and fairly can collectively reason their way to sounder conclusions in the long run. As Lincoln observed, you can fool all of the people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.” [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reason is a collective tool, not a guarantee of individual rationality; societies that nurture open, fair reasoning can reach better conclusions over time. **In simple terms:** Reason works best in groups, not always in individuals. Key Takeaway Foster open, fair discourse. Themes reasoning collective intelligence human nature philosophy societal progress Mood thoughtful analytical optimistic Type philosophical inspirational educational When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - community decision making - media analysis Key Concepts rationality bias deliberation public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure open reasoning in polarized environments? - What structures protect collective reasoning from bias? A Different Perspective Individual irrationality can still dominate outcomes if not mitigated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Capable Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable-reason-3785041/) [Collectively Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectively-reason-5587007/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Faculty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculty/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Fool Some Of The People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-some-of-the-people/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-run/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-rational-370645/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Sounder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sounder/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [All men are capable of reason. 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