Types Tuesday

Power of Reason Month

This month is Power of Reason month. We’ll be examining a type of Character that know exactly how the world should be. Power of Reason Characters solve problems with a sense of detachment. These Characters are precise, seeing the world as complex puzzles to be solved. When their own personal logic is challenged, they can turn to the dark side as they try to revert any deviation. Nothing distracts them from their singular view of the world- emotion does not factor into their actions.

Throughout March, we will look at Scientists, Serial Killers and Strategists and try to understand why these Characters are so rigid in their logic and reasoning. Power of Reason Characters may seem one-note and unwavering, but their detachment and problem-solving can be as fascinating as it is horrifying.

Power of Reason Detectives

By their very nature, Detectives that adhere to the Power of Reason Character Type have no time for the consideration of others- they can be blunt and rude, because other people and their feelings get in the way of logic and solving the puzzles that need to be solved.

Unlike Power of Truth Detectives, they don’t seek to uncover conspiracies, they merely see conundrums that can only be answered logically. Those who don’t think like them are a hindrance to their methods.

Let’s look at two of the most notable of these detectives.

House

Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), the titular star of the Fox show,  has a horrible bedside manner. Doctors are often emotionally detached due to the nature of their job.

They see the body and its ailments are puzzles to be solved and can’t afford to become invested in those who might die.But House takes this to the extreme. He is rude and initially unlikeable.

But it is this attitude that makes him a good medical detective. Nothing distracts him from his goal, and it’s how he often gets the job done. As a person, this lack of sentimentality and warmth is a problem. As a detective, it makes him the best at what he does. This is the trade-off for Power of Reason Characters- be great and alienated, or ordinary but loved.

Poirot

Agatha Christie’s iconic sleuth Hercule Poirot, most recently portrayed by Kenneth Branagh, is no less abrasive than House. However, Poirot’s approach is more charming because he realizes understanding human behavior will help him crack his cases. House sees people as problems, whereas Poirot sees them as flawed individuals whose flaws contain the answers to solving his mysteries.

Although not everyone liked it, the recent Murder on the Orient Express film adaptation did a great job of depicting Poirot’s worldview being tested and forcing him to make sacrifices. By the end of the film, in his own way Poirot becomes a little more human.

His methods are every bit as effective as House’s, but Poirot realizes that empathizing with his suspects allows him to understand them and therefore figure them out as innocents and culprits.