Originally Posted by
Gnerphk
Humi - our perspectives are not dissimilar. You're looking at the origin of principle; I'm describing the purpose of principles and their best use as a tool.
Properly constructed principles serve in the majority of cases. Improper principles ought be discarded instantly - ans a function of reason. However, when crunch time is upon you, there's no excuse for examining principles for flaws; decisiveness requires immediate action (or decision to not act). Your principles should have been examined long since.
That being said, if your reason (or even your gut, your heart, or... I dunno, your pancreas) tells you something different at the crux of action, take whatever time you can for instant examination, because you could be wrong. Just don't take more time than you have.
Principles give you guidelines when there is no time to think.
Unfortunately, they will often cause a great deal of damage compared to the proper, well-reasoned response -- if misapplied. In any situation that permits time for examination of principles, they may be brought out for inspection and consideration. Principles do not exist to replace reason, but as tools of it. They have an equal or higher position in decision-making trees, but they merely supersede, not replace.
Was that more clear?