It has to do with the way you conflate social and mental things...
The word you're using, reason, is sensitive to context. So are associated words (e.g. reasonable, reasoning, etc. ), synonyms (e.g. logic), antonyms (e.g. irrational) and even words, like "valid" that are just commonly used with it.
All of these words are used one way, for one behavior set, when talking about mental disciplines (science, scholarship, law, accounting) and another way, for a different behavior set, when speaking casually in a social setting.
Put it this way... the "reasoning" I use to convince my friends is not the same "reasoning" I use to persuade an auditor at work.
Or, the "logical" argument I use to convince my friends is not the same as the "logical" argument I use in a mathematical proof.
I used to use "mental" reasoning in social settings, long before I knew you... I learned that it didn't work.
So when an RPG mechanic rewards "mental" reasoning with social success it breaks my suspension of disbelief.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-06 09:24 pm (UTC)The word you're using, reason, is sensitive to context. So are associated words (e.g. reasonable, reasoning, etc. ), synonyms (e.g. logic), antonyms (e.g. irrational) and even words, like "valid" that are just commonly used with it.
All of these words are used one way, for one behavior set, when talking about mental disciplines (science, scholarship, law, accounting) and another way, for a different behavior set, when speaking casually in a social setting.
Put it this way... the "reasoning" I use to convince my friends is not the same "reasoning" I use to persuade an auditor at work.
Or, the "logical" argument I use to convince my friends is not the same as the "logical" argument I use in a mathematical proof.
I used to use "mental" reasoning in social settings, long before I knew you... I learned that it didn't work.
So when an RPG mechanic rewards "mental" reasoning with social success it breaks my suspension of disbelief.
Kiralee