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Lexicon.

rationalism

noun

Rationalism is the view that reason, not the senses or faith, is the main source of reliable knowledge, and in everyday use a habit of trusting logic.

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Definitions

  1. In philosophy: the position that the mind can reach certain knowledge mainly by reasoning, and that some truths can be known without relying on experience of the senses.
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  2. In religion: the practice of accepting only those beliefs that can be justified by reason, and of rejecting revelation or authority as a basis for faith.
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  3. In general use: a habit of thinking and acting on logic, evidence and practical sense rather than on emotion, custom or superstition.
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Examples

Usage

Used about a person, rationalism usually sounds like praise. Speaking of someone's rationalism suggests that they think before they act, weigh costs and benefits, and are not easily carried away by fashion or panic. The word can also be a criticism, as in cold or narrow rationalism, which describes a person who treats every question as a calculation and ignores feelings, values or experience. The adjective next to the noun usually shows which tone the speaker intends.

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In philosophy rationalism is one side of an old argument about where knowledge comes from. Webster (1913) defines it as the system that makes rational power the ultimate test of truth and sets it against sensationalism and empiricism. The empiricist holds that knowledge starts with what the senses report, while the rationalist holds that reasoning can reach truths that experience alone could never prove. In this technical sense the word is neutral and simply names a position in the theory of knowledge.

source Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1911 also describes theological rationalism, a movement in eighteenth century German Protestant thought linked with the Enlightenment. It names the philosophy of Christian Wolff, a follower of Leibniz, as its immediate source. Wolff was removed from his chair at Halle because of his views, taught at Marburg, and returned to Halle in 1740 at the invitation of Frederick II. According to the same article, the critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant marked a turning point for the movement.

source Editorial team; facts: F. Aveling, Rationalism, The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 12, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1911, open source

Typical partners of the word are cool, critical, scientific and Enlightenment before it, and embrace, defend or reject as verbs. A person who holds these views is a rationalist; Webster (1913) notes that the word could also be used disparagingly for a false reasoner. Rationalism should not be confused with rationalization, which in psychology means inventing sensible sounding reasons for a choice made for other motives, and in business means reorganizing work to make it more efficient.

source Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Word forms

Editorial description of regular English forms; the plural rationalisms is rare and refers to different schools or versions of the view.

word forms

przypadek forma
singular rationalism
plural rationalisms

Word forms: Editorial team

Collocations

Synonyms · Antonyms

Synonyms reason, logic, intellectualism, rationality
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Antonyms empiricism, irrationalism, fideism, mysticism
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Etymology

The English noun adds -ism to the adjective rational. Webster (1913) points to French rationalisme for the noun and to French rationaliste for rationalist. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1911) traces the name to Latin ratio, meaning reason or reckoning.
source Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source
also F. Aveling, Rationalism, The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 12, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1911, open source

Related words

Related entries

Questions and answers

What does rationalism mean?

In philosophy rationalism is the view that we gain real knowledge mainly through reason rather than through the senses. In everyday speech it describes an attitude of relying on logic and common sense instead of emotion or superstition.

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What is the difference between rationalism and empiricism?

Rationalism treats reason and reasoning as the main source of knowledge, while empiricism treats experience of the senses, such as observation and experiment, as the main source. The two positions have long disagreed about where certain knowledge comes from.

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Where does the word rationalism come from?

It is built from the adjective rational with the suffix -ism, and its root is Latin ratio, meaning reason or reckoning. The same root gives the words rational, rationality and rationalize.

source F. Aveling, Rationalism, The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 12, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1911, open source

Is rationalism the same as rationalization?

No. Rationalism is a view or attitude that values reason, while rationalization usually means finding convincing excuses for something done for other reasons, or making a business process more efficient.

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