> We can't explain rational thought by referring to the cerebral states associated with it, because the question of whether a thought is rational is [independent] of its associated cerebral state.

If you had to write this over again to a broader audience, would you choose the word _explain_ here? In the context of this conversation especially, 'explain' is highly overloaded. Which sense do you mean? Perhaps what you mean is closer to _assess_ or _prove_?

Are you essentially saying this: the rationality of a statement is _assessed_ by the degree to which it adheres to the logic of rationality?

Since this is obvious, I'm inclined to think I'm still not following what you are actually trying to get across.