On November 16, 2021, Christos Kyriacou, a lecturer of the Classics and Philosophy department of the University of Cyprus, was invited to deliver an academic lecture titled "Why Be Theoretically Rational? Against Instrumentalism" at Tencent Meeting.
In the lecture, Christos Kyriacou introduced the background knowledge about instrumentalism about epidemic rational (IER), in which the reduction of cognitive rationality becomes the rationality of tool practicability, and proposed that the logical result of IER leads to the co-variation of cognitive rationality and instrumental rationality. The abuse of instrumental rationality will cause the decline of cognitive value, which is harmful to society, and cognitive rationality can suppress the "malignancy" of human beings. Finally, Christos Kyriacou believes that truth has value and that instrumental rationality deviating from norms lacks justice.
At the end of the lecture, Nicholas asked, “what I should believe in the practice of rational value of multiple instrumentalism. And what should I do?” Mr. Christos Kyriacou answered questions from various perspectives, including politics, economy, culture, and art. All in all, this conference made us realize the excessiveness of instrumental rationality and the harm to society. Pursuing instrumental rationality in line with social norms is the right way.
