rationalism
Americannoun
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the principle or habit of accepting reason as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief, or conduct.
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Philosophy.
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the doctrine that reason alone is a source of knowledge and is independent of experience.
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(in the philosophies of Descartes, Spinoza, etc.) the doctrine that all knowledge is expressible in self-evident propositions or their consequences.
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Theology. the doctrine that human reason, unaided by divine revelation, is an adequate or the sole guide to all attainable religious truth.
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Architecture.
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a design movement principally of the mid-19th century that emphasized the development of modern ornament integrated with structure and the decorative use of materials and textures rather than as added adornment.
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the doctrines and practices of this movement.
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noun
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reliance on reason rather than intuition to justify one's beliefs or actions
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philosophy
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the doctrine that knowledge about reality can be obtained by reason alone without recourse to experience
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the doctrine that human knowledge can all be encompassed within a single, usually deductive, system
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the school of philosophy initiated by Descartes which held both the above doctrines
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the belief that knowledge and truth are ascertained by rational thought and not by divine or supernatural revelation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of rationalism
Explanation
Rationalism is a doctrine that prioritizes reason over emotion. If you're scared of the dark and convinced there's a monster in your closet, your parents will beg you to be rational, and rely on what you know (empty closet) instead of what you fear (monster!). French philosopher René Descartes, who wrote "I think therefore I am," is considered the father of rationalism. He believed that eternal truths can only be discovered and tested through reason. The "scientific method" is one of rationalism's great gifts to mankind––if something cannot be proven through a repeatable experiment, you do not consider it to be true.
Vocabulary lists containing rationalism
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Some Political and Philosophical -isms
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Chapter 22: The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rationalism, or the disposition to try everything by reason and reject everything we cannot understand, is not a native plant in the South.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 19, 2015
Rationalism is the idea that humans are capable of using their faculty of reason to gain knowledge.
From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014
"Rationalism proves inadequate in any period of upheaval," he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2014
The main architecture show in Venice this year, a fascinating assembly called "Rationalism and Architecture in Italy During the Fascist Regime," irrefutably demonstrates how it could and did.
From Time Magazine Archive
The official recognition of Rationalism as the State religion came to an end on the accession of Mutawakkil in 847 a.d.
From A Literary History of the Arabs by Nicholson, Reynold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
