Rationalism: Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz

From Parmenides to the Renaissance, this article traces the rationalist idea that the universe itself has a rational structure, and what happens when thinkers push back against it. Open access under CC BY.

Danie F.M. Strauss

Michael Rosen questions the rationalist ideal of the self-directing individual without giving up on reason itself. A sharp essay for anyone who wants to hear the strongest case against rationalism.

Michael Rosen

A full doctoral thesis that tests whether reason alone can tell us what is possible and what is necessary. A demanding but rewarding read if you want to see how rationalism is argued about in philosophy today.

Heejin Kwon

Was Aristotle a rationalist who trusted pure intuition, or did he think experience could justify first principles? This paper challenges the rationalist reading of Aristotle and shows why the question still matters.

Marc Gasser-Wingate

Innate ideas, intuition and the Posterior Analytics: this article asks in what sense Aristotle can be called a rationalist, answering Jonathan Barnes' empiricist reading.

Yassaman Hoshyar