Definitions for rationality
ˌræʃ əˈnæl ɪ tira·tio·nal·i·ty

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. rationality, reason, reasonablenessnoun

   the state of having good sense and sound judgment

   "his rationality may have been impaired"; "he had to rely less on reason than on rousing their emotions"

2. rationality, rationalnessnoun

   the quality of being consistent with or based on logic

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. rationalitynoun

   the quality or state of being rational; agreement with reason; possession of reason; due exercise of reason; reasonableness.

   His sudden loss of rationality was brought on by excess drink.

2. rationalitynoun

   objectivity, considerateness.

   Such a discussion deserves rationality, not emotion a gut reaction.

3. Etymology: From rationalité, from rationalitas, from rationalis

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Rationalitynoun

   Etymology: from rational.

   1. The power of reasoning.

   When God has made rationality the common portion of mankind, how came it to be thy inclosure? Gov. of the Tong.

   2. Reasonableness.

   In human occurrences, there have been many well directed intentions, whose rationalities will never bear a rigid examination. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Rationality

   Rationality is the quality of being guided by or based on reasons. In this regard, a person acts rationally if they have a good reason for what they do or a belief is rational if it is based on strong evidence. This quality can apply to an ability, as in rational animal, to a psychological process, like reasoning, to mental states, such as beliefs and intentions, or to persons who possess these other forms of rationality. A thing that lacks rationality is either arational, if it is outside the domain of rational evaluation, or irrational, if it belongs to this domain but does not fulfill its standards. There are many discussions about the essential features shared by all forms of rationality. According to reason-responsiveness accounts, to be rational is to be responsive to reasons. For example, dark clouds are a reason for taking an umbrella, which is why it is rational for an agent to do so in response. An important rival to this approach are coherence-based accounts, which define rationality as internal coherence among the agent's mental states. Many rules of coherence have been suggested in this regard, for example, that one should not hold contradictory beliefs or that one should intend to do something if one believes that one should do it. Goal-based accounts characterize rationality in relation to goals, such as acquiring truth in the case of theoretical rationality. Internalists believe that rationality depends only on the person's mind. Externalists contend that external factors may also be relevant. Debates about the normativity of rationality concern the question of whether one should always be rational. A further discussion is whether rationality requires that all beliefs are reviewed from scratch rather than trusting pre-existing beliefs. Various types of rationality are discussed in the academic literature. The most influential distinction is between theoretical and practical rationality. Theoretical rationality concerns the rationality of beliefs. Rational beliefs are based on evidence that supports them. Practical rationality pertains primarily to actions. This includes certain mental states and events preceding actions, like intentions and decisions. In some cases, the two can conflict, as when practical rationality requires that one adopts an irrational belief. Another distinction is between ideal rationality, which demands that rational agents obey all the laws and implications of logic, and bounded rationality, which takes into account that this is not always possible since the computational power of the human mind is too limited. Most academic discussions focus on the rationality of individuals. This contrasts with social or collective rationality, which pertains to collectives and their group beliefs and decisions. Rationality is important for solving all kinds of problems in order to efficiently reach one's goal. It is relevant for and discussed in many disciplines. In ethics, one question is whether one can be rational without being moral at the same time. Psychology is interested in how psychological processes implement rationality. This also includes the study of failures to do so, as in the case of cognitive biases. Cognitive and behavioral sciences usually assume that people are rational to predict how they think and act. Logic studies the laws of correct arguments. These laws are highly relevant for the rationality of beliefs. A very influential conception of practical rationality is given in decision theory: it states that a decision is rational if the chosen option has the highest expected utility. Other relevant fields include game theory, Bayesianism, economics, and artificial intelligence.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. rationality

   Rationality refers to the state or quality of being reasonable or based on logic. It involves the ability to think, understand, and make judgments or decisions based on facts, knowledge, and insight, rather than on emotions or prejudices. In more specific contexts, such as economics or psychology, it refers to the idea of making optimal decisions, or choices that most effectively accomplish one's goals, given the available information.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Rationalitynoun

   the quality or state of being rational; agreement with reason; possession of reason; due exercise of reason; reasonableness

2. Etymology: [F. rationalit, or L. rationalitas.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Rationality

   In its primary sense, rationality is a normative concept that philosophers have generally tried to characterize in such a way that, for any action, belief, or desire, if it is rational we ought to choose it. It is a normative concept of reasoning in the sense that rational people should derive conclusions in a consistent way given the information at disposal. According to the philosophical theory of justification, it refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons to believe, or of one's actions with one's reasons for action. However, the term "rationality" tends to be used differently in different disciplines, including specialized discussions of economics, sociology, psychology, evolutionary biology and political science. A rational decision is one that is not just reasoned, but is also optimal for achieving a goal or solving a problem. The philosophy of critical rationalism takes this principle to the extreme and argues that decisions made without any reasons at all or even based on supposed irrationality, are yet rational; instead, irrationality in this context means not to change the decision once it turns out to be non-optimal to achieve a goal, or to solve a problem.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. rationality

   The quality of being rational.

   Rationality is vital for life and maturity.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 20, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Logicality
   • Sanity

How to pronounce rationality?

1. Alex

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How to say rationality in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of rationality in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of rationality in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of rationality in a Sentence

1. Vin Weber:

   They are on planes constantly, back and forth, all the time, there's no rationality to it at all.

2. The Global Zero report:

   At the brink of conflict, nuclear command and warning networks around the world may be besieged by electronic intruders whose onslaught degrades the coherence and rationality of nuclear decision-making.

3. Barry Schwartz:

   Our institutions and values are in jeopardy as the mores of the market pervade all social life in this country. Loyalty, honesty, courage, discipline, patriotism, and commitment to family are being crowded out by the goals and rules of economic rationality -- do whatever makes the most money.

4. Elisabeth Loeffler:

   True existence is only defined by rationality.

5. European Council President Donald Tusk:

   My intuition is that treaty change is close to mission impossible today because it's not only about rationality, about good argument, we need unanimity between 28 member states, in the European parliament, in 28 national parliaments in the process of ratification. To say that it is a Pandora's Box is too little.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=rationality
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Rationality
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=rationality
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationality
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rationality
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=rationality