Understanding Rationalism in Philosophy
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ScribdTranslationsUnderstanding Rationalism in Philosophy
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ScribdTranslationsWhat is Rationalism
In general, it is the conception that sees in the spirit, the mind, and understanding the
foundation of all man's relationship with the world considering this relationship
as a higher form of human thinking.
Rationalism, then, is the absolutization of reason, and it occurs with
muchstrengthIn modern times, although it did not arise in this period, because
long before, there had been attempts atreturnto reason in front of the
facts of experience. This current is characterized by the real, by the
concepts or mental systems and the explanation of science in terms
logical. Man is presented as a thinking animal, withdignityand attributes
ofperson.
Where, how, and when it arises
Appeared inFrancein the seventeenth century, formulated by RenéDescartes, that is
complement with theempiricism, and what it is thesystemofthoughtwhat emphasizes
the role of reason in acquisitionknowledge, in contrast with the
empiricism, which emphasizes the role of experience over all sense of
theperception.
Therationalismit has appeared in different forms since the early stages of
thephilosophyWestern, but identifies above all with the tradition that comes from
French philosopher and scientist of the 17th century René Descartes, who believed that
thegeometryrepresented the ideal of all thesciencesy también de la filosofía.
He maintained that certain truths could only be discovered through reason.
universal, evident in themselves, from which it is possible to deduce the rest of the contents
of philosophy and sciences. It stated that these truths are evident in themselves
they were innate, noderivativesfrom experience. This type of rationalism was
developed by othersphilosophersEuropeans, like the Dutch Baruch Spinoza and the
German thinker and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. They opposed it.
British empiricists, such as John Locke and David Hume, who believed that all the
ideas came fromthe senses.
Who are the main proponents and their contributions.
Reason is the only faculty that can lead man to knowledge of the
truth. To do this, it uses its method, which allows us to avoid mistakes, it is not a simple
method of exposition or demonstration of what is already known, but allows
increase knowledge, discover new truths by questioning them
what we have. Descartes' desire is for the method to be easy and simple to
continue. The rules of the method are: Evidence: it consists of not admitting as
True some things that you do not know with evidence and reasoned what
Analysis: consists of dividing each of the difficulties that arise in
as many parts as possible then a synthesis, consists of conducting
neatly all my thoughts, starting with the simplest objects
and easier to know, to gradually ascend to the knowledge of it
more complex; enumeration and review: it involves making counts and reviews such
integrals of which I am sure that nothing has been omitted and cannot be
to doubt so much.
Main exponents and their contribution
RENE DESCARTES (La Haye, France, 1596 - Stockholm, Sweden, 1650) for him
nothing seems to deserve trust, this is how a "skepticism" is born since the
senses deceive us, thought is not worthy of trust, it falls with
frequency in error. The only sciences that seem certain, mathematics and
the logic (Cartesian problem) In Descartes, knowledge is not possible only
through the senses, for they deceive us. The exercise of doubt extends to
all theoretical statement.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (Germany, 1646-Hanover, 1716) Thinker and
German mathematician. He invented infinitesimal calculus, was a diplomat, and founded in
Berlin the Academy of Sciences fought for the unity of Christian churches.
For Leibniz, the infinite substances that form the metaphysical structure of the
beings, he calls them "Monads", which refer to unity, which leads us to
represent it as the ultimate and indivisible element.
SPINOZA (11/24/1632 - 02/21/1677) Dutch Philosopher. His religious opinions
they made him be expelled from the synagogue, and since then, he had more relationship
with Christian media.
Reality as a unique whole, in which each part refers to the totality and within it
they find their justification and foundation. This unique and total substance is called
God or Nature. This doctrine of Spinoza is known as
as pantheist monism.
It is his opinion that the created substance must necessarily be understood as a
substance produced by God.
Describe the philosophical thought of the representatives.
Descartestrategy to apply to thephilosophytheproceduresinductive rationales
from thescience, and in concreteof
themathematicsBefore setting up yourmethod, the
philosophy hadstatedominated by the scholastic method, which was based on
complete in comparing and contrasting the opinions of recognized authorities.
Rejecting thissystem, Descartesestablished: "In our search for
direct path to the truth, we should not concern ourselves with objects of which we do not
we can achieve a certainty similar to that of the demonstrations of the
arithmetic and thegeometry. For this reason, he decided not to believe any truth.
until the reasons for believing it have been established.
Gottfried Wilhelm LeibnizHis thought: The notion of substance that
it is that which exists by itself and is known by itself. This definition
it implies that between the order of knowledge and the order of reality there exists a
perfect correspondence.
What are the methods of reflection and research that underlie its value?
The effectiveness of the scientific method was transferred to philosophy and in the theory of
knowledge, rationalism exaggerated the role of consciousness aided by the
mathematical method and minimized the role of experience.
The rationalist method can be characterized negatively and positively:
It denies the validity of Aristotelian logic and the formal logic of the syllogism of the
scholastics. The logic of three times is replaced by another binary one in which each
a link of a deduction connects directly to the previous premise (as
the steps followed in solving an equation.
From a positive point of view, the rationalist method considering the content of
thought (it is not a formal logic), is organized around the model of the
mathematics allowing for a deduction (from the general to the particular), advancing
with identities and differences. For a rationalist, neither science nor philosophy
They can get lost in analogical reasoning. Only mathematics allows for a
exact and unequivocal method.
Difference between rationalism and empiricism
Rationalism is based on reason to define what is true or false.
difference from empiricism that is based on experimentation to denote that
something is true. Empiricism is based on seeing to what extent it is subjective.
a knowledge, that is, based on the subject's point of view that
experience what happens, unlike rationalism which is based on the
reason as a source of true knowledge.