The Rationalism is a philosophical current that attaches particular confidence the reason human , while it is believed that one gets the knowledge.
Knowing where knowledge came from was a concern of Philosophy. The attempt to answer this question results in the appearance of at least two philosophical currents:
- Rationalism, which from the Latin ratio means “reason”;
- Empiricism, which from the Greek empeiria means “experience”.
The doctrine of rationalism claims that everything that exists has an intelligible cause, even if that cause cannot be proved empirically. That is, only thought through reason is able to attain absolute truth .
Rationalism is based on the principle that reason is the main source of knowledge and that it is innate to humans.
Thus, logical reasoning would be constructed through the deduction of ideas, such as knowledge of mathematics, for example.
Cartesian Rationalism
Cartesian Rationalism or Descartes ‘Rationalism is a reference to Descartes’ thinking – one of the main thinkers of this current.
René Descartes (1596-1650), whose phrase is famous: “ I think, therefore I am ”, laid the foundations of rationalism. For this French philosopher and mathematician, there were three sets of ideas:
- Adventitia , represented by the ideas that arise through information obtained by our senses;
- Factitious , ideas that originate in our imagination;
- Innate , who do not depend on experience and are in our mind at birth.
See also: René Descartes
Rationalism and Empiricism
Unlike Rationalism, which is basically reason, the philosophical current Empiricism claims that the starting point for knowledge is experience itself.
For the defenders of Rationalism, Empiricism is doubtful. Especially due to the fact that everyone’s experience stems from sensory perception, which is often subject to errors.
See also: Empiricism
Kantian Apriorism
And there is also the Kantian apriorism of Kant (1724-1804). For this German philosopher, empiricism and rationalism go hand in hand.
Rationalism and Renaissance
Rationalist thinking marked the change in mentality brought about by the Renaissance.
The Renaissance was a cultural, economic and political movement that originated in the 15th century in Italy. It started with the decline of the feudal system and other medieval features.
As for Christian Rationalism , this is a doctrine that emerged in Brazil from the spiritist movement in 1910 and was disseminated throughout the world.