RATIONALISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rationalism mean? 

• RATIONALISM (noun)
  The noun RATIONALISM has 3 senses:

1. (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge is acquired by reason without resort to experience

2. the theological doctrine that human reason rather than divine revelation establishes religious truth

3. the doctrine that reason is the right basis for regulating conduct

  Familiarity information: RATIONALISM used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RATIONALISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge is acquired by reason without resort to experience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("rationalism" is a kind of...):

philosophical doctrine; philosophical theory (a doctrine accepted by adherents to a philosophy)

Domain category:

philosophy (the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics)

Derivation:

rationalistic (of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of rationalism)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The theological doctrine that human reason rather than divine revelation establishes religious truth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("rationalism" is a kind of...):

theological doctrine (the doctrine of a religious group)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rationalism"):

deism; free thought (the form of theological rationalism that believes in God on the basis of reason without reference to revelation)

Derivation:

rationalist (someone who emphasizes observable facts and excludes metaphysical speculation about origins or ultimate causes)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The doctrine that reason is the right basis for regulating conduct

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

freethinking; rationalism

Hypernyms ("rationalism" is a kind of...):

doctrine; ism; philosophical system; philosophy; school of thought (a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school)