Rationalism

Rationalism is one of the philosophies that not only encompasses human actions or life but also covers and targets the structure of existence as a whole. Rationalism is the principle that the base of existence lies within rational reasoning and logical structures that shape the world as we know it. It also asserts the practice of forming opinions and decisions should be purely based on logic and independent thought rather than relying solely on sensory experience or external authorities. In this way, rationalism is distinguished from empiricism as an epistemological theory (i.e. how we can get to truths about the world) - in that rationalists claim that there is both innate and learned (not necessarily empirically learned, however) knowledge that exists within us that we are not able to access unless we use reason and logic. It is as this epistemological theory that the term has gained the most attention - particularly because many philosophers use this method of reason as a way to come to various truths. Importantly, rationalists do not think that empirical perceptions have no merits at all - since it is clear that some things in the world are learned through experience - but rather that reason holds more priority, and we thus can know certain fundamental truths about the world using reason and logic as the justification - as opposed to whatever sensory experiences may be tangentially involved. Separately, rationalists also believe that truth is universal and applies to everyone and everything regardless of background or experience, meaning that rationalism mainly focuses on the objective truth we all experience, not faith or beliefs.