Rational people are some of the biggest idiots

People that pride themselves on being rational have a complete misunderstanding of how the world actually works. They reduce thought to a spreadsheet and a series of if-else conditions thinking they can get to a final "truth" if they just apply logic well enough. Concepts, opinions, cultures, economies, policies, etc are treated like Pokemon cards; static, unchanging objects with a description, stats, strengths and weaknesses.

But reality rarely conforms to these simple abstractions; actual things in the world are interdependent, evolving, contradictory, and systematic.

Let me give some examples what I have personally hear people say.

"If it doesn't hurt anybody, what's the problem? Just let people enjoy things!"

Enjoyment doesn't live in a vacuum. Someone spending a large part of their income on OnlyFans doesn't just enjoy pornography out of thin air. How does increasing social atomization cause an increase in porn addiction? What effects does the commodification of sex have on society? Does it lead to more atomization? Etc. You can think critically of peoples behaviors without making value judgements on specific individuals.

"Religion just causes war and bigotry. If we got rid of religion, the world would be a better place"

Religion is not a simple bug that can be fixed by making people more rational. People often turn to religion as an escape from their misery and a desire for purpose. What misery are they trying to escape? How did religions evolve? What social functioning does it give? Is Islam the cause of Jihadist terrorism or the result of geopolitical and economic tensions?

"Slavery was legal and considered normal back in the day, therefore we can't judge the Atlantic slave trade with our modern values. Morality is subjective after all"

Normal for who? Was it normal for the slaves? When you say morality is subjective, why do you only apply the subjective morality of one class? How did the slave system create a specif legal framework to accompany it? To what extend do current elite economic interests play a role in shaping the law? Law, morality and economics are interdependent.

"Western countries have the highest standards of living, why else would people migrate to them? You don't see Americans trying to cross the Mexican border. Obviously, the west is the best!"

Countries are not separate islands with each having their own system that you can compare on their specific qualities. Countries are historically evolved and interdependent. Is it a coincidence that the countries with the highest standards of living were the same that did colonialism? How does this history influence the current state of affairs? Could you enjoy this standard of living without the cheap labor in poorer countries for your consumer products?

I feel like a lot of the current discourse is framed in this "rationalist" way. Leaving no room for actual discussion and any attempt at this is brushed aside as "woke", "its not that deep" or "just say it how it is"