Hollywood Rationality

Created by Zack M. Davis at

TV Tropes independently invented this exact concept and called it the Straw Vulcan. Their explanation is more detailed and has more subconcepts and better examples than ours, so if you want to know how to spot bad rationality as seen in popular media, you should probably check TV Tropes. (Warning, TV Tropes.)

Contrast to Traditional rationality, or better yet, rationality with math in it.

Hollywood rationality is a popular stereotype of what rationality is about. It presents "rationalists" as word-obsessed, floating in endless verbal space disconnected from reality, reciting figures to more decimal places than are necessary, or speaking in a dull monotone. Hollywood rationalists also tend to either not have strong (or any) emotions.emotions. When they do, they often do not express them. Needless to say, this has nothing to do with actual rationality.

Hollywood rationality is a popular stereotype of what rationality is about. It presents "rationalists" as word-obsessed, floating in endless verbal space disconnected from reality, reciting figures to more decimal places than are necessary, or speaking in a dull monotone. Hollywood rationalists also tend to either not have strong (or any) emotions. When they do, they often do not express them. Needless to say, itthis has nothing to do with actual rationality.

  • Straw Vulcan - TV Tropes Wiki entry aboutdiscussing the concept.problems with the common stereotype.

External links

Rationality a.k.a. Bayescraft a.k.a. the Winning Way a.k.a. the map that reflects the territory, refers to systematic methods for having truer beliefs and making better decisions.Hollywood rationality is a popular stereotype of what rationality is about. It is not aboutpresents "rationalists" as word-obsessed, floating in endless verbal space disconnected from reality, reciting figures to more decimal places than are necessary, or speaking in a dull monotone. Tropes of Hollywood Needless to say, it has nothing to do with actual rationality.

See also

Rationality a.k.a. Bayescraft a.k.a. the Winning Way a.k.a. the map that reflects the territory, refers to systematic methods for having truer beliefs and making better decisions. It is not about reciting figures to more decimal places than are necessary, or speaking in a dull monotone.monotone. Tropes of Hollywood rationalityRationality

Rationality a.k.a. Bayescraft a.k.a. the Winning Way a.k.a. the map that reflects the territory, refers to systematic methods for having truer beliefs and making better decisions. It is not about reciting figures to more decimal places than are necessary, or speaking in a dull monotone. Hollywood rationality