I first heard the phrase from Professor Anwar Syed who used to teach Political Science at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. The concept is simple. Everyone has a set of beliefs that are impervious to reason. The sooner you recognize these 'islands of irrationality' the better off you will be in terms of your relationships. And, you will save huge amounts of time in arguments.
This is an amazingly useful insight! I am sure you know of otherwise completely reasonable and logical people who will have a strong, unchangeable and wrong opinion that baffles you. You cannot believe that this paragon of 'normalcy' cannot see what is so obvious to rational you! Try as you might, you have hit a brick wall. Recognize the island. Accept it. Move on.
What kinds of 'islands of irrationality' are out there? Common ones are in religion, PC vs. Mac, Democrats/Republicans as evil, foods and medicines that are magically effective or astoundingly bad, how children should or should not be brought up, gun control, the truth behind 9/11, to name a few. But truth be told, there is no area where an opinion can be held where the island is not lurking nearby.
Both at home and at work, the concept is invaluable. I think successful marriages are built on the principle of knowing when to shut up -- and we see the usefulness of clearly demarcating (silently) your spouse's 'islands of irrationality'. Children, particularly teenagers, seem to have an innate but exaggerated sense of the concept. Often, they may place all parental thinking and advice onto a continent of irrationality. At work, good team work requires knowing for each person the areas where pure reason succumbs to flakiness. Governments would benefit from using the concept, especially in their international dealings.
So now you know. Spread the word. But remember, you have now armed others to be cluck-clucking on your 'islands of irrationality'. And what you consider such islands in others might be because you are operating out of your own!
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