Week 8, Post 3: Narrative vs. Rational-world Paradigms

I don't consider myself a rational person. I'm very instinctual and I tend to base my decisions on past experiences. Chapter 13 discusses the shift from a rational world paradigm to a narrative one. Like Fisher, I feel that the rational-world paradigm is "too limited". The narrative paradigm is similar to the rational one but based on the premise that narrative is "the basis of all human communication" (302). As the chapter states, stories are an intrical part of our lives. We are storytellers and we tell stories daily. I don't think most people base their decisions on the basis of logical arguments. Most people tend to make decisions based on good reasons and depending on the "communication situation". It's interesting that both paradigms can view a story in two very different lights. The rational-world paradigm casts doubt on the story of Ruth. The narrative paradigm says that each individual will make their own judgements about Ruth's story based on what we consider to be good reasons. I think I definitely prefer the narrative paradigm!