In Rene Descartes book, Discourse on Method, he devises four premises to the right steps of reasoning.
1. Accept nothing as true which is not presented to the mind so clearly and distinctly that there is no reason to doubt it.
2. Break problems down into as many smaller problems as possible.
3. Begin with what is most simple and easily understood and build on this by degrees to large and more complex matters.
4. Review the entire chain of thinking to ensure nothing is omitted.
Here is the story of Lily the chicken:
Once upon a time, there lived a chicken named Lily. She lived on a farm surrounded by hundreds of other chickens and was fed, watered and sheltered daily by a caring farmer. In her free time, Lily was able to socialise and enjoy all aspects of her life. She felt content and happy. Although she had little freedom, she was only a chicken and this life was all she had ever known.
It was Christmas Eve and Lily was eating her delicious dinner when she thought to herself about all the advantages of her life and how the farmer had always looked after her. The next day was Christmas. When Lily came for her breakfast, the farmer grabbed her and chopped her head off.
Lily was content with life because she was naive. She had contentment but lacked reason. If she had reasoned why the farmer was feeding her so graciously and nurturing her, she would have concluded that she was going to be killed.
Contentment leads to happiness, and reason often to depression. An earlier post describes my view on the attainment of happiness. If you read this you will further understand why reason is more imperative than contentment.