Question

According to George Ritzer, all rational systems have certain irrationalities. Ritzer argues that the education system has been rationalized. In what way does education’s increased rationalization exhibit Ritzer’s concept of the irrationality of rationality?

Answer 1

Ritzer suggested Irrationality of Rationality as a fifth aspect of McDonaldization. The irrationality means that rational systems are unreasonable systems. By that he means that they deny the basic humanity, the human reason, of the people who work within or are served by them. The social mechanism by which such formal rationality is to be carried out is the bureaucracy. Ritzer describes the assembly line and the part that the automobile industry played in manipulating technology to increase the elements of rationalization.Addressing irrationality among students requires a shift in educators’ attitudes. Instead of focusing on content mastery or skill acquisition, the goal needs to be changing the current habits of students’ minds. While this may have seemed like an unrealistic goal before, the discovery that rationality and irrationality are distinct and measurable entities makes such a change realistic and desirable. If rationality is separable from intelligence and is not merely a product of maturation, it’s important for educators to address this significant aspect of human cognition. Rationality is education’s next great challenge.