Linked to reason or compliant and endowed with it
In a very broad sense the term rational refers to everything proper to reason or related to it and also to that which is conforming or endowed with reason.
Rationality allows human beings to think and act coherently
In relation to human beings we find the rationality , what is that properly human capacity that allows individuals to think, evaluate and act according to certain consistent consistent principles in order to satisfy some objective or purpose. When the human being uses reason at the request of any decision making, he will choose oriented to achieve the maximum possible benefits, economically and from the most varied limitations of the brain and of action on the environment in question.
The other side, the irrational
In the opposite path to the rational we find the irrational, which is precisely what is characterized by presenting itself opposite to reason or directly lacking it.
With an example we will better graph both questions.
If a woman finds out that she is pregnant, she should begin to take certain precautions with regard to her health so as not to harm her baby and that her pregnancy prospers without problems, eat better or in the best possible way, stop smoking and drink alcohol, avoid taking some medications, reduce physical exertion, among the main ones. Acting in accordance with these recommendations will be considered rational
Now, if that same woman, upon learning that she is going to be a mother, does the opposite of what was mentioned, and even more, neglects herself, we will say that she has taken an irrational attitude.
Ornament in the Jewish religion
On the other hand, For the Jewish religion and among the Jews, the rational one knew how to be an ornament of the high priest, a garment of value, consisting of twelve precious stones of various origins, in which the 12 tribes of Israel were representedMeanwhile, in the Middle Ages, the rational was used by all the bishops of the Germanic Empire.
When you want to realize that something is in conformity with reason it is often said that it is rational. Despite the inconveniences to achieve it, Juan, did not move from an absolutely rational behavior.
In addition, there are several concepts that are closely related to the concept of rational ...
Uses in specific fields
For Philosophy one rational action It will be the one in which the agent puts in a decisive way the means available to him to achieve the ends that he has proposed and to do so in the best possible way.
A rational number it will be any number that can be represented as the quotient of two whole numbers with a denominator other than zero (0/4, ¼, 2/4, ¾, 4/4).
For its part, the rational mechanics It turns out to be that part of Physics that deals with studying the movement of material bodies and the causes of the aforementioned movements.
Moreover, it will be called rational method which is used at the request of Hydrology to calculate the maximum instantaneous discharge flow of a hydrographic basin.
Rationalism, a current that promotes reason
And closely linked to reason we cannot ignore rationalism, that philosophical current that promotes reason with regard to the search for truth. For rationalism, reason is the essential and main vehicle when determining reality.
Although the father of rationalism and the rationalist par excellence has been the French philosopher René Descartes, who immortalized the preeminence of reason by ensuring that: "I think, therefore I am", we cannot not mention that other colleagues had previously claimed rationalism, such is the case of the Greek Socrates, who opportunely privileged the power and place of reason in the discovery of reality. Then Plato would pick up the glove, who spoke of the influence of reason in determining reality while the senses were attributed to briefly reflect reality.
We must emphasize that rationalism has had a notable influence on the development of the scientific method and that it is so widely used in various areas of research.
