Reason can refer to the ability to think about and manipulate concepts in abstraction. When we ask someone, "are you being reasonable?", we are using the correct concept of reason. We are actually asking them, "can you justify your thinking?". We might not agree with their justification but at least they can explain their thinking.
Aristotle said: "Man is a rational animal" (try to ignore the focus on 'Man', he wrote this 2500 years ago).
But what do we mean by "reason"? Is it just the power of reasoning, or is it the capacity to form concepts and abstractions? Or is it the capacity to make a decision? Or any other definition based on mental powers.
Please blog to the following question: does this capacity to reason determine our understanding of the world? Our knowledge?
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