If (as Mr. Mitchell does) we describe “reason” as the capacity to analyze one’s own thoughts, to examine their correspondence to reality, and to seek greater understanding of our own minds, then I would say that there are very few who are not capable of reason, however rarely they exercise it. “Unreason,” the failure to attempt the process of determining truth, can indeed be said to be behind a great deal of harm. If a person fervently believes, and vigorously acts upon, beliefs that are false, we do end up, among other problems, Hitler. And Barack Obama.
Consider the idea that voting for a candidate with a dark-skinned African father “proves” that the voter is not racist. Obviously, this idea doesn’t stand up to rational consideration for a moment, since the very definition of “racist” is “making decisions based on outward signs of genetic heritage.” Is doing what we imagine is good for the “black” person - such as electing him president, or admitting him, unqualified, to Harvard Law - any less racist than doing something obviously bad, such as beating him up or forcing him to do farm labor? This demonstrates the real danger of Unreason, because the same false belief, acted upon to produce “warm feelings in the belly,” can have results ranging from apparently positive to obviously disastrous.
Mr. Mitchell posits, and I tend to agree, that anyone capable of using language consciously is capable of exercising reason, at some times and to some extent. This would leave out the catastrophically insane and very young children. (Pat can reason, James - maybe, Vlad really isn’t although he talks up a hurricane.) The extent to which each person uses reason depends on both internal and external factors unique to the person.
Sounds reasonable.
The capability to reason might be there in most people but how many take the time to stop and exercise it. Many are so busy doing what believe is good that they never think about what there doing.
The elite liberal left is the opposite , they spend all their time trying to reason with out ever doing. Forming groups with with little or no connection with the rest of the world. These people if not careful ending up living in flying castles and paying the rent.
Liberalism is oppositional defiant disorder to common sense.