The hidden factors that shape what counts as "rational" in a given context, influencing judgments without appearing in conscious deliberation. These include emotional states (fear makes certain options look irrational), social pressures (what your peers would think), embodied cognition (how hungry or tired you are), and cultural narratives (stories about what rational people do). Spectral variables in rationality explain why the same person can make brilliant decisions in one context and terrible ones in another—not because their reasoning ability changed, but because the ghosts haunting their rationality shifted. True wisdom involves learning to sense these ghosts before they sense you.
Spectral Variables (Rationality) "I thought I was making a purely rational career decision. Then therapy revealed the Spectral Variables: I was still trying to impress my dad, who's been dead for five years. Rationality is never just rationality—it's haunted by everything you haven't dealt with."
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 23, 2026
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