irrationalism

Irrationalism is a term used in philosophy to describe a family of positions that question or oppose the primacy of reason, rational justification, or systematic intelligibility as the sole basis for knowledge, value, or meaning. Proponents argue that reality or human experience contains dimensions that cannot be captured fully by rational analysis, and that non-rational factors such as intuition, emotion, faith, or the unconscious play a decisive role.

Historically, irrationalism arose as a reaction against Enlightenment rationalism and the dominance of scientific explanation in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Thinkers commonly associated with irrationalist tendencies include Eduard von Hartmann, who argued that the will drives consciousness and that reality is ultimately irrational; Søren Kierkegaard, who stressed subjective truth, individual faith, and the limits of reason; and Friedrich Nietzsche, who critiqued rationalistic morality and celebrated non-rational forces such as instinct and vitality. Some later writers discuss Henri Bergson as emphasizing intuition over intellect, a stance that has been described by some as irrationalist.

There is no single coherent doctrine called irrationalism; rather, the label is used to group diverse positions that stress the limits of reason and the importance of non-rational modes of knowing or experiencing. Critics label irrationalism as detrimental to rational justification, while supporters argue that it highlights essential limits of reason and the depth of human existence. In practice, irrationalist tendencies have influenced existentialism, phenomenology, and various religious and spiritual philosophies.