reason

Also known as Vernunft, ‛aql

Reason is the capacity to consciously apply logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking truth. It is associated with activities considered characteristic of humans, including philosophy, religion, science, language, and mathematics, and is generally considered a distinguishing ability possessed by humans. The term "reason" is sometimes used to refer to rationality, although the latter is more about its application.

AI overview

Reason is the mental ability to think logically and draw valid conclusions from information in order to find the truth. It's considered a distinctly human capacity that underlies many of our important activities, such as science, philosophy, mathematics, and language.

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Commons category: Reasoning

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Article

35 sections

Contents

Etymology and related words
Philosophical history{{anchor|History_of_reasoning}}
Classical philosophy
Christian and Islamic philosophy
Subject-centred reason in early modern philosophy
Substantive and formal reason
The critique of reason
Reason compared to related concepts
Reason compared to logic
Reason compared to cause-and-effect thinking, and symbolic thinking
Reason, imagination, mimesis, and memory
Logical reasoning methods and argumentation
Deductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning
Analogical reasoning
Abductive reasoning
Fallacious reasoning
Unreasonable decisions and actions
Traditional problems raised concerning reason
Reason versus truth, and "first principles"
Reason versus emotion or passion
Reason versus faith or tradition
Reason in particular fields of study
Psychology and cognitive science
Behavioral experiments on human reasoning
Developmental studies of children's reasoning
Neuroscience of reasoning
Computer science
Automated reasoning
Meta-reasoning
Evolution of reason
Reason in political philosophy and ethics
See also
References
Further reading

Reasoning involves using more-or-less rational processes of thinking and cognition to extrapolate from one's existing knowledge to generate new knowledge, and involves the use of one's intellect. The field of logic is the study of how humans can use formal reasoning to produce logically valid arguments and true conclusions. Reasoning may be subdivided into forms of logical reasoning, such as deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, and abductive reasoning.