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Rationalism Essay

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Main body...................................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
Context

The prime motive of the essay is to evaluate rationalism based on knowledge and truth. The rules
and regulations that can make a person a rationalist will be also mentioned in this paper.
Furthermore, the steps or the versions that how a normal person can be a rationalist will be also
revealed in this paper. The features that must be present in a true rationalist will be explained.
This paper includes all the characteristics and the way of working of a rationalist will be
revealed. Moreover, the explanation and discussion about rationalism and the importance of
rationalism will be also described in this paper. The technique that a rationalist uses to become
determined for their work will be also included.

Thesis statement

Rationalism can change the life of a rationalist and it also provides various types of skills and
knowledge in the mind of a rationalist for the better growth of their ideas.

Main body
Rationalism in pride and justice

In western philosophy, rationalism is regarded as the view in which reason is the chief source of
knowledge and truth. When the satisfaction with what is not earned makes rational pride as the
hard decisions benefit an individual as well as the community. Through accomplishment an
individual can achieve rational dignity as self-estimation is linked to one's successes. Anyone can
make his choices to get good or bad, but if the moral has been chosen then a conscious, difficult
decision transformed to be virtuous and one can proud of that. rational pride can be regarded as
the recognition of one who has succeeded in his goal with his own values, actions, desires, and
emotions (Bowman, 2018). As an individual needs to develop his physical values to sustain his
life so he must attain the values of his character to make life worth sustaining. An individual is a
self-made being, so he wants a sense of self-value and hence rational pride is necessary. The
virtue of pride can be understood by the term moral ambitiousness meaning that anyone must
earn his right to hold himself as his own highest values by acquiring his moral perfection and this
could never be achieved by irrational pride. The individual would never accept unearned guilt
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and never. Therefore it means irrational pride is not only unsatisfactory for the individual but
also for society (Uziel & Santos, 2019).

Justice itself is a rational meaning between the violent extremes of deficiency and excess. The
most rational selection for the parties in their original position is the two fundamentals of justice.
While the first promise the basic rights and freedoms necessary. the theory of justice by john
Rawls is celebrated as it is not a mere collection or sketches of essays but an elaborated theory
that states one should strive for a type of moral geometry with all the precisions which that name
connotes. Aquinas contemplates justice as a predominant among the moral virtues.

While modern thinking of justice stresses social equity the modern idea of rational behaviour
stress self-serving options which are actually not concerned with equity. In this case rationality
and justice conflict in social conditions. At once justice act as a part of human virtue and the
bond, that connects man to society. Justice is an order and duty of the individual soul as health
values to the body. So justice is not a mere strength but a harmonious strength (Szigeti, 2022).
The human organism comprises three elements- reasons, appetite and pneuma. A person is just
when each element of his soul acts its functions not interfering with the other elements. For
instance, reason can rule on behalf of the whole soul with knowledge and forethought. The part
of pneuma will be supporting the rule of the reason. These two elements harmoniously act by
combing physical and mental training. These are fixed in command over the appetites that make
the greater part of a man's pneuma. Hence the pneuma and the soul have to control the appetites
that are developed on physical pleasures. The appetite should not be permitted to make slaves the
other components.

Plato and Descartes's versions of rationalism

Rationalism is the technique of thought that is highlighted by being a reasonable mindset method
of reasoning. There are different versions of rationalism. Plato was a rationalist. According to
him, every object has a principle that is attached to it. He states that this world that is full of
various types of materials is mere be an illusion of the truth. The philosophy of Pluto disrespects
the physical world as a copy and mostly focuses on the advanced truths that are for impartiality,
morals, and qualities (Webb, 2018). Plato has been named a rational mystical. The important
distinction of Plato is between higher reason and lower reason. According to the beliefs of Plato,
the higher reason is more necessary than the lower reason. The beliefs of Plato are central to his
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entire philosophical program. He always tries to make himself more than a rationalist. The
statement Plato explains that there were some particular principles of knowledge and
understandings that the human mind understood from its initial stage. According to Plato's
version, rationalism is the system that focuses on the stresses of reason as the means of defining
truth. Plato states that authority is provided to the mind over the senses and reason can be utilised
to continue the truth (Leat, Williamson & Scaife, 2018). The version of Plato explains that
observation offers a challenge for him. Plato is an example of a true rationalist as he always tries
to know and understand the different theories, formulas, and various information in his room. He
keeps himself always inside his room and continues working on their task.

In his modern classical period, Descartes was a momentous rationalist philosopher. Descartes
was a great mathematician who invented analytical geometry. He was also the author of various
important physical and anatomical experiments. Descartes is reflected to be the founder of
modern philosophy. He was also an important mathematician who invented various types of
theories that are based on optical science. The hopes and beliefs of Descartes offer a solid
justification for different beliefs. The projects that he usually worked on provides very
informative knowledge to the scholars (Lake, 2020). The working principle of his projects offers
to know and understand the different laws of physics and mathematics to the students.

Descartes kept himself busy in finding the philosophy of mind. Descartes always keeps himself
busy finding different types of theories in various fields so that he can upgrade his knowledge.
Descartes is one of the most essential philosophers for the better growth and understanding of the
theories of natural rule and human ideas. He was very determined about his work (Jones, 2020).
All physical events are organized and fully determined by previous unplanned factors that were
according to the strict automatic natural rules and regulations. Descartes have the habit to solve
his issues and problems on his own and he usually did not take any help from anyone, he is a
rationalist in the times of Galileo and he was very impressed and motivated by his theories and
working on them for the better growth of his knowledge.

Rationalism as the primary source of knowledge

While the primary sources of knowledge include diaries, documents, statements, video and audio
recordings, scientific studies, research results, surveys, interviews, arts, manuscripts, and
speeches in western philosophy rationalism can be viewed as reason as the chief test and source
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of knowledge. Keeping holding the truth as an inherently logical structure the rationalists
considered that truth exists which intellect directly grasps. Rationalism is opposed to empiricism
which claims that all knowledge can be gained from only experience rather than innate ideas
(Jabeen, Kabir & Aziz, 2021). Paradigm examples of logical and mathematical knowledge have
been promoted by rationalists. According to rationalists, such knowledge can only be achieved
through reason alone. they contemplate that knowledge access through reason is universal and
eternal meaning its existence remains the same throughout the past, present and future for
example two plus three is always five. Rationalists are inspired by the definite and clarity of
knowledge that reasoning offers. So the arguments arise to utilize this knowledge in gaining
knowledge of the world also. Knowledge which is prior to observation and encounter is known
as priori meaning from the former. Priori knowledge's base is the reason as is maintained by
rationalists. Rationalists are likely to favour inmates meaning the faith that people are born with
certain ideas in their minds so these are innate in human beings such as the mathematical
principle or logical reasoning, morality and the concepts of god (Holdo & Bengtsson, 2020). The
innatists claim that these ideas are available in people by birth but it is not guaranteed awareness
of their occurrence. Reason acts as a faculty which enables individuals to perceive and approach
these. Therefore innate ideas act as the foundation of a model for rationalism.

Reason can alone offer certainty to human wisdom. Deduction and intuition act as tools through
which the capability of reasonable control. while intuition is the ability to peep inward and
apprehend intellectual objects and truths deduction can be used for acquiring knowledge
worldwide starting with put in certain and distinct ideas. There are two methods in which
reasoning aims to acquire knowledge, first is subjects of facts and secondly relations of motives.
The way of deduction set up relations between the motives one has already achieved through
experience (Krupińska, 2020). These relations of motives are the type of truths that can be found
in mathematics and logical reasoning, for example, the proposition of a circle is round. These
truths are certain or needed as their denials lead to opposition. These are also called a priori since
these do not rely on how the society is. That's why relations of motives and deduction do not
concrete new wisdom worldwide. The knowledge they convey is previously understood by
people, even whether the understanding is just absolute within the premises of deductive
dissension whose conclusion makes it straightforward.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, rationalism can change and transform the lifestyle and mindset of a rationalism
lot. With the help of rationalism, a rationalist can gain various types of natural theories and can
also research them. In this paper, the importance of rationalism was mentioned. The main
features and personality of a true rationalist were also concluded in this paper. True rationalist
like Plato and Descartes's lifestyle as a rationalist and their working style was also revealed in
this paper. Rationalism was said as the primary source of knowledge that can change the
mentality about the ideas of natural theories and it is also beneficial for the understanding of the
knowledge of various types of rationalists in their field for superior progress discussed. The
method of technique that the rationalists so that they can follow the rules and regulations to
become a rationalist were explained in this paper.
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References
Bowman, J. S. (2018). Thinking about thinking: Beyond decision-making rationalism and the
emergence of behavioral ethics. Public Integrity, 20(sup1), S89-S105.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10999922.2017.1410461

Holdo, M., & Bengtsson, B. (2020). Marginalization and riots: A rationalistic explanation of
urban unrest. Housing, Theory and Society, 37(2), 162-179.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14036096.2019.1578996

Jabeen, H., Kabir, K. H., & Aziz, T. (2021). Balancing rationalism with creativity: an
architectural studio’s experience of responsive design solutions. Environment and
Urbanization, 33(1), 63-82.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956247820981873

Jones, D. (2020). That Thou Art: Aesthetic Soul/Bodies and Self Interbeing in Buddhism,
Phenomenology, and Pragmatism. Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture, 4(3), 37-
47. https://yadda.icm.edu.pl/yadda/element/bwmeta1.element.desklight-e1d1a67d-9471-
441b-97fb-9a9e2cdd720f/c/eidos_13_jones.pdf

Krupińska, E. (2020). Back to structures and signs–remarks on the possibilities of structural


aesthetics of Music. Interdisciplinary Studies in Musicology, (20), 33-40.
https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/ism/article/download/25990/24078

Lake, R. W. (2020). The quest for uncertainty: Pragmatism between rationalism and
sentimentality. In The power of pragmatism (pp. 267-274). Manchester University Press.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Lake-6/publication/341385302_The_power_
of_pragmatism_Knowledge_production_and_social_inquiry/links/
61f3f2a4007fb504471ed7e8/The-power-of-pragmatism-Knowledge-production-and-
social-inquiry.pdf#page=277

Leat, D., Williamson, A., & Scaife, W. (2018). Grantmaking in a disorderly world: The limits of
rationalism. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 77(1), 128-135.
https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223024/1/__qut.edu.au_Documents_StaffHome_StaffGroupB
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%24_bakerj2_Desktop_Grantmaking%2BDisorderly%2BWorld_accepted
%2Bversion_March%2B2017.pdf

Szigeti, A. (2022). The heuristics theory of emotions and moderate rationalism. Philosophical


Psychology, 1-24.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09515089.2022.2094232

Uziel, E., & Santos, N. B. D. (2019). Source criticism and the history of Brazilian foreign
policy. Contexto internacional, 41, 187-208.
https://www.scielo.br/j/cint/a/VZVMYFDqpYzMjvMgskw3cfc/?format=html&lang=en

Webb, W. M. (2018). Rationalism, empiricism, and evidence-based medicine: a call for a new
Galenic synthesis. Medicines, 5(2), 40. https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/5/2/40/pdf

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