Knowra Irrationalism Irrationalism Irrationalism is the philosophical view that reason cannot fully grasp reality or human understanding, and that intuition, feeling, faith, or will are fundamental ways of knowing or being.
Rationalism : The philosophical view that reason is a primary source of knowledge, independent of sensory experience. It gives reason the foundational authority that irrationalism denies.
Arthur Schopenhauer : A German philosopher who described the world’s inner reality as a blind, striving will. His account makes will, rather than rational thought, the deepest principle of reality.
Reason : The human capacity to draw conclusions, assess evidence, and form judgments through inference. Irrationalism questions whether this capacity can provide a complete account of reality.
Existentialism : A philosophical movement focused on existence, freedom, responsibility, and lived experience. Its emphasis on choice and concrete existence overlaps with critiques of abstract rational systems.
Positivism : The view that reliable knowledge rests on empirical observation and scientific methods. Its restriction of knowledge to verifiable evidence conflicts with irrationalist appeals to intuition or faith.
Søren Kierkegaard : A Danish philosopher who explored subjectivity, anxiety, and religious commitment in the individual’s life. His account of faith emphasizes a personal commitment that cannot be established by objective proof.
Intuition : The immediate apprehension of an idea or truth without explicit step-by-step reasoning. Irrationalist thinkers often treat intuition as access to truths analysis misses.
Lebensphilosophie : A philosophical tradition that treats lived life as more fundamental than abstract concepts. It develops the thought that conceptual reason cannot exhaust the reality of life.
Empiricism : The theory that knowledge arises primarily from sensory experience. It offers experience, rather than non-rational insight, as reason's chief complement.
Friedrich Nietzsche : A German philosopher who criticized inherited morality and explored drives, perspectives, and the will to power. His critique of reason’s neutrality foregrounds the forces and values that shape thought.
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