The question is not whether emotions can cause people to be irrational. They can!
Not every case of irrational behavior is caused by emotions though. And when we are making an argument that people are acting against their own interests, it may help to ponder what makes them do so. All the more when we are claiming principles and values that should be accepted by everyone.
"If you don't believe me you are acting irrational / it's because you are emotionally attached" does not seem to be an attitude that gets closer to real causes in a discussion on how to best seek simplicity, but rather a recipe for avoiding discussion or a "thought-terminating cliche."
There must be a better argument for convincing people to let go of code / clean up etc.
But, if it is the truth, then it seems to me like it does get us closer to the truth. I don’t think irrational means there is no explanation for the behavior, it’s closer to saying that the behavior is not in anyone’s best interests, it’s not thought through.
Clinging to code you wrote is a very natural thing to do, there are many reasons we do it, and most of the time it’s irrational.
Not every case of irrational behavior is caused by emotions though. And when we are making an argument that people are acting against their own interests, it may help to ponder what makes them do so. All the more when we are claiming principles and values that should be accepted by everyone.
"If you don't believe me you are acting irrational / it's because you are emotionally attached" does not seem to be an attitude that gets closer to real causes in a discussion on how to best seek simplicity, but rather a recipe for avoiding discussion or a "thought-terminating cliche."
There must be a better argument for convincing people to let go of code / clean up etc.