According to Ward (2000), rational thought has certain fixed aspects. First, it involves a perception of entailment relationships or relationships in which one proposition either imposes, involves, or implies another proposition as a necessary accompaniment or result. For example, 3 x 2 = 2 x 3 stands as an entailment relationship.

Second, Ward (2000) states that rational thought involves reasoning from plausible premises that contain no non sequiturs which are inferences that do not follow from the premises. Third, Ward also states that rational thought utilizes processes of formal reasoning. However, he notes that, unlike formal reasoning which can be brought to bear upon any proposition, even proposition that are in discord with reality or are about ôunrealö objects or things, rational thought is said to be in congruence with external reality. One problem here is that there have been many philosophical arguments in favor of reality existing merely as a personal construct and therefore

A second obstacle to rational thought is the difficulty involved in attaining it. In this regard Harrison (1999) states that not only is there difficulty involved in rational thinking but it is conceivable that there are some situations to which rationality does not apply. For example, a person may experience a problem in which no single best or rational solution exists. However, commonly, because of the difficulty entailed in attaining a truly rational perspective, people will often use heuristics rather than rational thought which is to say that they will utilize simple rules of thumb derived from experience, to exploit consistent information patterns in their surroundings. This, clearly, can obstruct rationality.

Some other obstacles to rational thought are discussed by Ward (2000). One set of these is what he terms ôlack of data sources.ö Here, rational thought can be compromised due to factors such as ignorance of the false nature of a given premise, or becau