Geometric modernism audit
Introduction
Rationalism is a philosophical current that emphasizes the role of reason in the acquisition of knowledge. It contrasts with empiricism, which emphasizes the role of experience and evidence, especially the sense of perception.[1][2].
Rationalism developed in continental Europe during the 20th centuries. Traditionally, it is considered to begin with René Descartes and his expression "I think, therefore I am." Descartes said that geometry represented the ideal of all sciences and also of philosophy. Descartes asserted that only through reason could certain universal truths be discovered, completely contrary to the idea of the empiricist movement. From those truths it is possible to deduce the rest of the contents of philosophy and science. He stated that these self-evident truths were innate, not derived from experience. This type of rationalism was developed by other European philosophers, such as the Dutch Baruch Spinoza and the German thinker and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. It was opposed by British empiricists, such as John Locke and David Hume, who believed that all ideas came from the senses.
Rationalism maintains that the source of knowledge is the reason given by God and rejects the idea of the senses, since they can deceive us; defends the exact sciences, specifically mathematics. Descartes wanted to return philosophy to scientific knowledge, therefore, give it a scientific method, so he relied on mathematics, which was considered a safe science, which is why he took on the task of describing the principle of mathematization, in his book Discourse on Method, to carry out a philosophical investigation. The method consists of four rules:[3].
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- Evidence: only everything that does not cast any doubt on thought is true.
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- Analysis: reduce the complex to simpler parts to understand it correctly.
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- Deduction: allow the rational deductive operation the weight of research, to find complex truths from the deduction of simple ones.
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- Verification: Check if what was discovered from the reason was achieved through these aforementioned rules.
Rationalism has been applied to other fields of philosophical research. Rationalism in ethics is the assertion that certain primary moral ideas are innate in the human species and that such moral principles are self-evident to the rational faculty. Rationalism in the philosophy of religion asserts that the fundamental principles of religion are innate or self-evident and that revelation is not necessary, as in deism. Since the end of the century, rationalism has played an anti-religious role in theology.