Rationalism is the belief or philosophy that reason and logical thinking are the main sources of knowledge and truth, sometimes more important than experience or emotion. It often appears in discussions about science, religion, and philosophy.
It comes from “rational,” from Latin “rationalis” (of reason), plus the suffix “-ism,” which forms names for systems of belief. The term became important in early modern European philosophy, especially with thinkers like Descartes and Spinoza.
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