A reflex does not necessarily involve fear, but the Low Road sounds suspiciously like a reflex.<p>In addition, it seems like the Low Road is not a <i>response</i> to fear, but a <i>creator</i> of fear, based on my understanding of those quotes. And, fear being a drive to avoid something, and the Low Road being a response to unwanted stimuli, it would appear that fear is rational.<p>N.B.: I&#x27;m using the definition of &quot;rational&quot; used by game theory, that is, a decision is rational if the possible outcomes for that decision are better than those for other decisions (assuming a certain goal, of course).