Who has a firm definition of "reason?"?

Question

From Plato, to Descartes, and even Ayn Rand, many philosophers have championed the power of reason as the primary conduit of human knowledge. What is your definition of "reason?"

Answer 1

Reason is the thinking method used to arrive to solid and realistic knowledge. It uses both logic, to give it internal clarity and consistency, and evidence to give it a link with the real world.

With logic you can guarantee you are not contradicting yourself, and that you are being ordered in your reasoning. Evidence gives you what you need to draw conclusions be them deductions or inductions, and be confident they are a reasonable model of reality.

Answer 2

When the philosophers, ancient and modern, use the term "reason" they typically mean "thought". So you may say, "...they championed the power of 'thought'...".

Today's common usage of the word "reason" is to identify circumstances that help us make decisions. This is illustrated in Tracy Chapman's plea "Give me one reason to stay here...and I will turn right back around". Or in The Carpenter's song "Reason to Believe" (also covered by Rod Steward and others):

" If I listened long enough to you
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true
Knowing that you lied straight faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe"

Both those examples used the word "reason". However, because we do have the power of thought, and we use language which is made up of symbols to represent our thought, AND we use our symbolic language to create additional symbols, we have many ways to represent reasons in our thoughts.

So we can have thoughts, think or "reason" (active verb), about our circumstances or "reasons" (noun) in order to justify the decisions we make in life.

Answer 3

1. a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, event, etc.: the reason for declaring war.
2. a statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action.
3. the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.
4. sound judgment; good sense.
5. normal or sound powers of mind; sanity.
6. Logic. a premise of an argument.
7. Philosophy.
a. the faculty or power of acquiring intellectual knowledge, either by direct understanding of first principles or by argument.
b. the power of intelligent and dispassionate thought, or of conduct influenced by such thought.
c. Kantianism. the faculty by which the ideas of pure reason are created.
8. to think or argue in a logical manner.
9. to form conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises.
10. to urge reasons which should determine belief or action.

Answer 4

Well it will be tough to come up with something other than all the definitions Becca has listed. Let me try to answer your question. MY opinion as to the definition of "reason" as you suggest by virtue of citing some early and great philosophers...

reason = perpetual circumstances...that is anything that can be categorized as "cause" in the "cause and effect" equation. By all means...logic and/or the absence thereof.

Answer 5

"Playtime" Any activity which includes grownup oriented concerns. those must be such issues as say, video games, yet often communicate over with a pair variety of love making. 'intercourse' is a modern to be shared, thinking of including 'play time' extremely than a chore, keeps issues thrilling and exciting. wanna see... ;)

Answer 6

Reason: the use of thought to describe something observed or assumed based the reasoner's current conditioned knowledge.

Answer 7

Reason is the process of thought and analysis used by LIBS in coming to a conclusion about a particular issue - and then INVERTING all of that.

Answer 8

an explanation of something or justification

Answer 9

why.....