Rationalism
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 The theory that reason is a source of knowledge independent of and superior to sense perception. countable, uncountable
- 2 the doctrine that reason is the right basis for regulating conduct wordnet
- 3 The theory that knowledge may be derived by deductions from a priori concepts (such as axioms, postulates or earlier deductions). countable, uncountable
- 4 (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge is acquired by reason without resort to experience wordnet
- 5 A view that the fundamental method for problem solving is through reason and experience rather than faith, inspiration, revelation, intuition or authority. countable, uncountable
"The opinion opposed to mysticism in philosophy is sometimes spoken of as rationalism. Rationalism insists that all our beliefs ought ultimately to find for themselves articulate grounds. Such grounds, for rationalism, must consist of four things: (1) definitely statable abstract principles; (2) definite facts of sensation; (3) definite hypotheses based on such facts; and (4) definite inferences logically drawn."
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- 6 the theological doctrine that human reason rather than divine revelation establishes religious truth wordnet
- 7 Elaboration of theories by use of reason alone without appeal to experience, such as in mathematical systems. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"The opinion opposed to mysticism in philosophy is sometimes spoken of as rationalism. Rationalism insists that all our beliefs ought ultimately to find for themselves articulate grounds. Such grounds, for rationalism, must consist of four things: (1) definitely statable abstract principles; (2) definite facts of sensation; (3) definite hypotheses based on such facts; and (4) definite inferences logically drawn."
Etymology
From rational + -ism.
Related phrases
More for "rationalism"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.