Irrationalism is a philosophical movement that emerged in the early 19th century,[1] emphasizing the non-rational dimension of human life. As they reject logic, irrationalists argue that instinct and feelings are superior to reason in the research of knowledge.[2][3][4] The term has often been used as a pejorative designation of criticisms against rationalism as a whole.[5]
The philosophy of rationalism, understood as having first emerged in the writings of Francis Bacon and René Descartes, has received a variety of criticisms since its inception.[1] These may entail a view that certain things are beyond rational understanding, that total rationality is insufficient or even harmful to human life, or that people are not instinctively rational and progressive.[5][3]
György Lukács has argued that the first period of irrationalism arose with Schelling and Kierkegaard, in a fight against the dialectical concept of progress embraced by German idealism.[6]
Ontological irrationalism, a position adopted by Arthur Schopenhauer, describes the world as not organized in a rational way. Since humans are born as bodies-manifestations of an irrational striving for meaning, they are vulnerable to pain and suffering.[7]
Oswald Spengler believed that the materialist vision of Karl Marx was based on nineteenth-century science, while the twentieth century would be the age of psychology:[8]
"We no longer believe in the power of reason over life. We feel that it is life which dominates reason."
— Oswald Spengler. Politische Schriften, 1932.[9]
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