Rationalism or winning an argument decreases alternatives and creativity instead of increasing it

The goal of rational debate is to eliminate options until only one remains. But creativity requires keeping multiple contradictory ideas alive at once.

When you're trying to win an argument, you're optimizing for being right. That means shutting down alternatives, poking holes in opposing views, narrowing the possibility space until your answer is the only one left standing.

But innovation doesn't come from eliminating options—it comes from holding two incompatible ideas in your head and finding a third way that reconciles them.

Steve Jobs: computers should be powerful (for engineers) AND simple (for everyone). That contradiction created the Mac.

Rationalism is great for execution. But it's terrible for exploration. If you want to create something new, you need to resist the urge to be right too early.