Reason is a process of logically examining beliefs and supporting evidence in order to reveal information in the form of relationships of cause and effect between actions and outcomes.
In briefest terms, reason asks: Given what you want, are you doing the best you know to achieve it? What are you doing? Is it the best way you know to obtain what you say you want? Honestly asking these questions yields a more accurate understanding of possible outcomes, effective paths to them, and honest accountability of one’s behavior, thoughts, and desires.
If you are honest, you are probably noticing that the process of reason is far more involved than your typical approach to life. In fact, what is described here may overwhelm you.
Most beliefs held in this world were not intentionally or logically formed. They never graduated out of the desire phase. They were formed without sufficient reason and maintained beyond the point where sufficient reasons to disbelieve them were given.
Normal people take a passive approach to belief—one that applies only the lightest reason, or perhaps none at all. Normal people do not pay attention to what they do, could not give good reasons for why they do it, would likely lie if they did, have not honestly evaluated other approaches to the outcomes they seek, and actively resist superior positions when made available to them.
A master painter can create awe-inspiring works of art that are more colorful than most people can even imagine. One does not become a master painter by simply picking up a brush and mindlessly slapping paint onto a canvas. Life is significantly more complicated than painting, and yet most people assume that, somehow, we can create masterpiece lives by simply bumbling through the vast space of possibilities before us.
Overwhelming or not, your ability to extract value from the abundant possibilities before you in life will be limited to your ability to reason. The importance of reason, as defined here, is underscored in the scriptures— though the word wisdom is used in its place. There are far too many serious invitations to obtain wisdom sprinkled across scripture than can be quoted here.
The wiser a person becomes in this life, the greater the value they place on wisdom. Wise Solomon used his great resources to figure out the true worth of everything under the sun:
3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. (Ecclesiastes 2)
What Solomon found was that the things that normal people desire (money, romantic relationships, beautiful scenes, music, etc.) were nothing but “vanity and vexation of spirit.” Solomon spent more time and money than you will have in this life in evaluating the value of things. He found that wisdom was worth more than all of these. Perhaps he was onto something.
Reason is the toolset for gaining understanding. Only through reason can someone gain an idea of what is right, why it is right, and what it is worth in comparison to other beliefs.
Reason is the ability to mentally evaluate the accurate cost and benefit of potential outcomes of future actions based on information acquired through thought, study, learning, and experience. It is also the tool we use to evaluate how well previous actions matched expectations, and to enumerate changes in beliefs, desires, or actions as suggested by the observed results.