In a nutshell: rationalists do not use their intellect to understand the world, or to take actions at decisive times, when knowing the correct action is necessary. Instead, they use it to "explain" things in hindsight. The rationalist use of intellect is intellectual masturbation. It is used because it feels good , not because it does good . It does not effectively predict the future, even in the short-term. It does not even help understand the present. It's used to intellectualize the past; it turns out being just-so stories, convenient narratives developed with full benefit of hindsight, which do not explain as much as explain away. It lacks the power to predict anything but the most humdrum outcomes. In a word, rationalism is useless . Case in point: current events. If rationalism had value, then rationalists should understand, in a way so there's no doubt: The major social and political threat that has been unfolding for the past 20 years. The major