Rationalist movement
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{{otheruses|Rationalism (disambiguation)}}
The modern '''rationalist movement''' is a philosophical doctrine that asserts that the [[truth]] can best be discovered by reason and factual analysis, rather than [[faith]], [[dogma]] or religious teaching. Its original roots extend at least as far back as [[Plato]]. The rationalist movement has some similarities in [[ideology]] and intent to [[secular humanism]], in that it aims to provide a framework for social and philosophical discourse outside of religious or supernatural beliefs; it also bears philosophical similarities to atheism; however, rationalism differs from both of these in that:
* As its name suggests, [[secular humanism]] is centered on the dignity and worth of people. While rationalism is a key component of secular humanism, there is also a strong ethical component in humanism that rationalism does not extend into. As a result, being a rationalist does not necessarily mean being a humanist.
* [[Atheism]], a disbelief or lack of belief in a God, can be on any basis, or none at all, so it doesn't require rationalism. Furthermore, rationalism does not, in itself, affirm or deny atheism, although it does reject any belief based on [[fideism|faith alone]]. Modern-day rationalism is strongly correlated with atheism, although historically this was not so. Most—if not all—prominent rationalists today, including scientists such as [[Richard Dawkins]] and activists such as [[Sanal Edamaruku]], are atheists.
Outside of religious discussion, the discipline of rationalism may be applied more generally; for example, to [[politics|political]] or social issues. In these cases it is the rejection of [[emotion]], [[tradition]] or fashionable belief which is the defining feature of the rationalist perspective.
During the middle of the 20th century there was a strong tradition of organized rationalism, which was particularly influenced by [[Freethinking|free thinkers]] and intellectuals. In the [[United Kingdom]], rationalism is represented by the [[Rationalist Press Association]], founded in [[1899]].
Rationalism in this sense has little in common with the historical philosophy of continental [[rationalism]] expounded by [[René Descartes]] and [[Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz]]. [[Empiricism#British empiricism|British empiricism]] of the 17th and 18th Century and [[logical positivism]] of the early 20th Century, though starkly opposed to continental rationalism, are in certain respects compatible with rationalism in the present sense. Indeed, a reliance on empirical [[science]] is often considered a hallmark of [[Modernism|modern]] rationalism.
==Notable rationalists==
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In alphabetical order (by first name):
* [[Abraham Kovoor]]
* [[Albert Einstein]]
* [[Ali Dashti]]
* [[Alister McGrath]]
* [[Anaxagoras]]
* [[Aristotle]]
* [[Arthur Peacocke]]
* [[Barbara Smoker]]
* [[Benjamin Franklin]]
* [[Bertrand Russell]]
* [[Charles Darwin]]
* [[Colin Blakemore]]
* [[David Tribe]]
* Debashis Chatterjee
* [[Democritus]]
* Dr. [[Pervez Hoodbhoy]]
* [[Epicurus]]
* [[Galileo Galilei]]
* [[Gaur Adhikary]]
* [[Gary Schwartz]]
* [[Gene Roddenberry]]
* [[Gregor Mendel]]
* [[Helena Cronin]]
* [[Henry Morgentaler]]
* [[Hermann Bondi]]
* [[Isaac Asimov]]
* [[Isaac Newton]]
* [[James Randi]]
* [[Jim Herrick]]
* [[John Polkinghorne]]
* [[Joseph Edamaruku]]
* [[Julian Huxley]]
* [[K. Veeramani]]
* [[Karl Popper]]
* [[Lewis Wolpert]]
* [[Nicolas Malebranche]]
* [[Nicolaus Copernicus]]
* [[Noam Chomsky]]
* [[Paul Kurtz]]
* [[Plato]]
* [[Prabir Ghosh]]
* [[Richard Dawkins]]
* [[Richard Leakey]]
* [[Richard Stallman]]
* [[Richard Wiseman]]
* [[Robert A. Heinlein]]
* [[Robert G. Ingersoll]]
* [[Sanal Edamaruku]]
* [[Socrates]]
* [[Stefan Molyneux]]
* [[Thomas Paine]]
* [[Steven Weinberg]]
* [[Vern Bullough]]
* [[Voltaire]]
</div>
== See also ==
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{{col-break}}
* [[Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations]]
* [[Irrationalism and Aestheticism]]
* [[Skepticism]]
* [[Deism]]
* [[Rationalist International]]
{{col-break}}
* [[Religious freedom]] - freedom of religion ''and'' belief
* [[Freethought]]
* [[Freedom of thought]]
* [[Golden Age of Freethought]]
* [[Objectivism]]
*[[Atheism]]
{{col-end}}
==External links==
* [http://www.rationalistprabir.bravehost.com Rationalist Prabir Ghosh's Website]
* [http://www.rationalistinternational.net/ Rationalist international]
* [http://www.rationalistinternational.net/home/agenda.htm ''A Rationalist Agenda for the new Century'' by Sanal Edamaruku]
* [http://www.rationalistinternational.net/conferences/2000/in_praise_of_rationalism.htm ''In Praise of Rationalism'' by Paul Kurtz]
* [http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/humanist.htm ''Differences between Humanism and Rationalism'' by Nigel Sinnott]
* [http://www.rationalist.org.uk/ Rationalist Press Association]
* [http://www.iheu.org/node/349 ''100 Years of Rationalism'' by Jim Herrick]
* ''[http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/russell7.htm Why I am A Rationalist]'' by [[Bertrand Russell]]
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[[Category:Philosophical movements]]
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