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Rationalism

Rationalism. Max Leopold. Origin. Dated back to Ancient Greece Use of rationalism in theory and politics dismissed for hundreds of years Revived mainly by philosophers during the renaissance These philosophers shared belief that the world can best be understood through logic and reasoning

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Rationalism

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  1. Rationalism Max Leopold

  2. Origin • Dated back to Ancient Greece • Use of rationalism in theory and politics dismissed for hundreds of years • Revived mainly by philosophers during the renaissance • These philosophers shared belief that the world can best be understood through logic and reasoning • They fought centuries of traditions

  3. What Is Rationalism? • Defined as "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification“ • Rationalists argue that your senses can deceive you, so you should no trust them • In order to find answers, you would sit in a room and think about it, without purposefully using senses

  4. Straw Example When you stick a straw in a glass of water, it looks as if the straw is bent or broken because the water refracts light differently than the air. You KNOW it's not, though.

  5. Rationalism vs. Empiricism The dispute between rationalism and empiricism concerns the extent to which we are dependent upon sense experience in our effort to gain knowledge

  6. Rationalist Argument • Rationalists argue that we primarily gain knowledge independent of senses • “There are cases where the content of our concepts or knowledge outstrips the information that sense experience can provide” • reason in some form or another provides additional information about the world

  7. Empiricist Argument Empiricists claim that sense experience is the ultimate source of all our concepts and knowledge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvlnG1923bs

  8. Subconcepts Innate Ideas • God • “Our concept of God is not directly gained in experience, as particular tastes, sensations and mental images might be.” Descartes • Extended Matter • Substance • Perfect Triangle

  9. Subconcepts Logical Necessity • True by definition Ex: All bachelors are unmarried Ex: In order to have 3 things you must have more than 2 things

  10. Relation to History • “man can make sense of the universe using his reason alone, without any recourse to God” • National Socialism • Rationalist approach being used in the rebuilding of modern day India • Led to Romanticism

  11. 19th Century Russia • Lenin a rationalist • Killing of Alexander III by Alexander Ulyanov, who forcefully rejected rationalism • Many began to dispute rationalism during this time period

  12. Crime & Punishment • Dostoevsky anti-rationalist • Believed that reliance on reason leads to death • “Not a single nation has been founded on the principles of science and reason” • Raskolnikov ultimately fails because he cannot rationalize his murder

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