Opinion: From rationality to Odyssean altruism — a path to peace
Homer’s Odyssey shows how shared rationality is key to lasting safety, security, and peace for humanity
By B Maria Kumar
Latest research prompts us to question whether rationality is always good. Much like knowledge, rationality is often assumed to be inherently beneficial. But just as we are warned against half-knowledge, which is considered dangerous, we must also be cautious about what might be called partial rationality. Knowing only part of something, say in business or technology, can lead to flawed decisions or the misjudging of truth. In a similar way, incomplete or selectively applied rationality can hamper the success of human efforts in daily life.
By its very meaning, rationality suggests complete and coherent logical reasoning. Ancient thinkers embraced this idea. In the fifth century BCE, Socrates promoted rational inquiry, particularly among the youth. His student Plato recorded and expanded upon these ideas, and Plato’s own student Aristotle went on to define humans as rational animals. For these early philosophers, human nature was seen through the lens of integrated rationality. Dividing or limiting this faculty was not something they considered. They believed that fragmenting rationality would invite confusion, distortion, and ultimately falsehood.
Individual Rationalities
A novel insight into this aspect has been put forward by modern research. In a study published in Nature and reported in SciTech Daily on 12 July 2025, researchers Marcelo G Mattar, Marcus K Benna, and Li Ji-An challenged the conventional belief in human rationality. Their findings show that people do not always make decisions based on objective reasoning. Instead, choices are shaped by personal factors such as self-interest, past experience, biases, beliefs, and the desire for reward.
This means that what appears rational for one person may seem irrational to another, depending on the context. Such divergence gives rise to a clash of individual rationalities. These frictions lead to misunderstandings, strained relationships, and sometimes even conflicts. It becomes increasingly clear that humans are not entirely rational beings. This recognition sheds light not only on interpersonal struggles but also on broader historical and global strains.
Encouraging flexible thinking replaces rigidity with forgiveness and compromise, helping people synchronise with others
Consider everyday situations. In family life, for instance, parents may impose strict limits on screen time to protect their children from potential mental health issues arising from social media, especially content generated through artificial intelligence (AI). This makes sense from their perspective. However, teenagers may think of these restrictions as unreasonable, as they seek online interaction and learning. Both viewpoints are rational within their own frameworks, yet they collide.
In law enforcement, police officers follow legal rationale to enforce laws. But protestors may perceive their demonstrations for genuine demands as a rational effort to secure their legitimate rights. In a contemporary hybrid workplace, where some work remotely and some in the office, colleagues might form small, close-knit groups called cliques to feel supported and less lonely while working from home, manifesting contextual rationality as a natural need for emotional connection. However, this can leave other colleagues out, who feel hurt and want to join, which is rational given their inherent desire for inclusion. This mismatch causes feelings of upset and divisions.
Fragmented Rationalities
In the world of business, companies may invest in AI and automated systems to reduce costs and remain competitive. Though rational from an economic stance, such decisions often lead to significant job losses, sparking unrest among the workforce. Here too, both the employer and the unemployed are behaving rationally within their own contexts, but the outcome is social and economic tension. When scaled up to the level of nations, fragmented rationalities become even more disturbing.
Ongoing wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East reveal how catastrophic these realities are. One side may see its actions as a rational pursuit of regional control or internal security, while the other deems its resistance as equally rational in defence of identity and survival. These rigid and opposing positions result in violence, bloodshed, and a shrinking hope for peace. If the situation worsens to its extreme, it evokes the concept of mutually assured destruction, epitomised by the Samson Option, where all parties are prepared to risk ruin rather than concede defeat.
Shared Rationality
To move away from such apocalyptic paths, we need a shift towards what may be called Odyssean altruism. In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero Odysseus is faced with the challenge of safely guiding himself and his men past the island of the Sirens, the half-woman and half-bird creatures whose enchanting songs lure sailors to their deaths. Knowing the danger, Odysseus acts with foresight. He orders his men to plug their ears with beeswax so they cannot hear the deadly music.
At the same time, he instructs them to bind him firmly to the mast of the ship, allowing him to experience the temptation without acting on it. In doing so, he ensures that not only he himself but all aboard the ship make it through the peril unharmed. This tale offers a powerful model. In today’s world, individuals and groups must adopt similar wisdom. To safeguard all, friends and opponents alike, we must foster open dialogue, dispel misunderstandings, and encourage the exchange of standpoints to achieve a common consensus.
Reducing bias and prejudice can lead to the meeting of minds and the formation of a unified purpose. When these goals are accepted by all, they become universally rational, moving beyond the limits of personal or situational rationality. Encouraging flexibility in thought and action helps replace rigidity with forgiveness and compromise. It allows people to adapt their decisions in a way that synchronises with others, strengthening the bonds that hold families, societies, and nations together.
These qualities, rooted in altruism and empathy, offer a trajectory forward. By nurturing them, individuals can contribute to a more collective and humane approach to thinking, planning, and acting. This transition from relative understanding to shared rationality may well be the key to lasting safety, security and peace for humanity.
(The author, a recipient of National Rajbhasha Gaurav and De Nobili awards, is a former DGP in Madhya Pradesh)
