Question

What do you think Ritzer means when he writes “we do not want to convey the impression that it is some mystical process that is, under its own momentum, sweeping through the world” (p. 100)? If rationalization is not a “mystical process,” what is it? Why is it important for us to understand this point?

Answer 1

The rationalization is a process in which a person develops logic, evidence, and facts to make a strong excuse, the process of rationalization also works as a defense mechanism, sometimes we consider this term as the description of values. Rationalization affects decision-making ability because it changes the beliefs on real values, many leaders such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, etc. used the process of rationalization to affect collective behavior.

When we talk about, mystical process, it includes searching for truths, reality, evidence, and logic which could help to identify real truth. The mystical process does not create logics, it finds logic to identify the truth while rationalization creates the truth. Rationalization is not a mystical process because it is limited to the appropriate idea and manipulates things according to the specific need while the mystical process searches truth, cause of life, and real evidence that supports truth.

The statement of Ritzer, support both of the above paragraphs because he included possibilities of things with the ability to be corrected. The statement is ideological which described the rationalization and mystical process in terms of human behavior and attachment towards truth.

Understanding, rationalization and the mystical process are important for us because it helps us to find the accurate distinction between both processes, sometimes we think both processes as the same so the statement of Ritzer helps us to define means and values of both conditions.