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| '''Reason''' (Latin ''ratio'', through French ''raison''), in philosophy, the faculty or process of drawing logical inferences. | |||
| ] ] thought, or the result of such thought. Reason forms the basis of several philosophies including ]. | |||
| Thus we speak of man as essentially a rational animal, it being | |||
| Reason can be considered a component of ], causality implying that "things happen for a reason." | |||
| implied that man differs from all other animals in that he can | |||
| consciously draw inferences from premises. It is, however, exceedingly difficult in this respect to draw an absolute distinction between men and animals, observation of which undoubtedly suggests that the latter have a certain power of making inferences. Compare ]. | |||
| There can be little doubt, however, that inference by man differs from that of animals in self-consciousness, and, though there can be no doubt that some animals dream, it is difficult to find evidence for the presence of ideal images in the minds of any but the highest | |||
| animals. | |||
| The term ''reason'' is also used in several narrower senses. Thus | |||
| reason is opposed to sensation, perception, feeling, desire, as the | |||
| faculty (the existence of which is denied by empiricists) by which | |||
| fundamental truths are intuitively apprehended. These fundamental | |||
| truths are the causes or "reasons" things exist or happen. | |||
| With ], reason (''Vernunft'') is the power of synthesizing into unity, by means of comprehensive principles, the concepts provided by the intellect (''Verstand''). The reason which gives ''a priori'' principles Kant calls "Pure Reason" (as in his ''The Critique of Pure Reason''), as distinguished from the "Practical Reason" which is specially concerned with the performance | |||
| of particular actions. | |||
| In formal logic the drawing of inference, or using the reasoning faculty, is called called ratiocination,, or, more simply, | |||
| "reasoning". From ] onwards, reasong is classified | |||
| ''deductive'', meaning "from the general to the particular", and | |||
| ''inductive'', meaning "from the particular to the general". In the | |||
| ], ], an ] ], added to these a third, ''abductive'', by which he meant "from the best available information to the best explanation", which has become an important component of the ]. See also ], ]. | |||
| In ], reason, as distinguished from faith, is the human | |||
| intelligence exercised upon religious truth whether by way of | |||
| discovery or by way of explanation. The limits within which the reason may be used have been laid down differently in different churches and periods of thought: on the whole, modern Christianity, especially in the Protestant churches, tends to allow to reason a wide field, reserving, however, as the sphere of faith the ultimate (supernatural) truths of theology. | |||
| Adopted and extended from a fine old encyclopedia. | |||
Revision as of 16:50, 8 July 2002
Reason (Latin ratio, through French raison), in philosophy, the faculty or process of drawing logical inferences.
Thus we speak of man as essentially a rational animal, it being implied that man differs from all other animals in that he can consciously draw inferences from premises. It is, however, exceedingly difficult in this respect to draw an absolute distinction between men and animals, observation of which undoubtedly suggests that the latter have a certain power of making inferences. Compare instinct.
There can be little doubt, however, that inference by man differs from that of animals in self-consciousness, and, though there can be no doubt that some animals dream, it is difficult to find evidence for the presence of ideal images in the minds of any but the highest animals.
The term reason is also used in several narrower senses. Thus reason is opposed to sensation, perception, feeling, desire, as the faculty (the existence of which is denied by empiricists) by which fundamental truths are intuitively apprehended. These fundamental truths are the causes or "reasons" things exist or happen.
With Kant, reason (Vernunft) is the power of synthesizing into unity, by means of comprehensive principles, the concepts provided by the intellect (Verstand). The reason which gives a priori principles Kant calls "Pure Reason" (as in his The Critique of Pure Reason), as distinguished from the "Practical Reason" which is specially concerned with the performance of particular actions.
In formal logic the drawing of inference, or using the reasoning faculty, is called called ratiocination,, or, more simply, "reasoning". From Aristotle onwards, reasong is classified deductive, meaning "from the general to the particular", and inductive, meaning "from the particular to the general". In the 19th century, Charles Peirce, an American philosopher, added to these a third, abductive, by which he meant "from the best available information to the best explanation", which has become an important component of the scientific method. See also logic, syllogism.
In theology, reason, as distinguished from faith, is the human intelligence exercised upon religious truth whether by way of discovery or by way of explanation. The limits within which the reason may be used have been laid down differently in different churches and periods of thought: on the whole, modern Christianity, especially in the Protestant churches, tends to allow to reason a wide field, reserving, however, as the sphere of faith the ultimate (supernatural) truths of theology.
Adopted and extended from a fine old encyclopedia.