Rationalism

=Rationalism=

= Rene Descartes

Rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey, 286). It is a theory theory "in which the criterion of truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive" (Bourke, 263). Some partakers in this philosophy believe "that reason has precedence over other ways of acquiring knowledge" (Audi, 771). Other more stringent believers believe that reason is "the unique path to knowledge" (Audi, 771). The roots of rationalism can be traced back to such notable philosophers as Pythagoreans and Plato. This philosophy was later refined during the renaissance by philosophers such as Rene Descartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza. In rationalism, rational is often constrasted with revelaton and things that are not acquired by the use of reason, such as intuition.

1. What elements of rationalism to you see that have carried over to today?

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2. Do you think that rationalism during the rennaisance has improved todays culture or not?

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