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Saturday, June 2, 2018
Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Gustav-Adolf Schultze
What is reason? I have three definitions:
1. Reason is the process of forming conclusions using explicit justifications or premises
2. A reason is something intended to support the accuracy of a proposition
3. A reason is something that explains something else
The rest of this post is an explanation of each definition.
1. Reason is the process of forming conclusions using explicit justifications or premises
I believe that whenever we use explicit reasons to form a belief, we are performing reason. Reason is the evaluation of reasons to make a conclusion. Reason can be contrasted with intuition which relies on unclear reasons rather than explicit reasons.
I also believe that science relies on reason. Science a method of establishing knowledge through controlled experiments. When we construct a controlled experiment, we need to consider all the potential confounding variables. Therefore, we need to form reasons why we think the experiment is controlled and adequate for testing a theory.
2. A reason is something intended to support the accuracy of a proposition
I believe that reasons play a central role in epistemology. Whenever we form a belief, its usually going to be based on reasons, conscious or unconscious. I also believe that the core essence of a reason is support. The purpose of a reason is to reinforce or strengthen a proposition.
3. A reason is something that explains something else
A reason can also be used to explain something. Whenever somebody asks why something is a certain way, the answer will always be a reason (or reasons). For example, imagine that you go on a bike ride for exercise. If somebody asks you why you went on the bike ride, you would tell them the reason: for exercise. Another example, if somebody asks you why the moon orbits around the Earth, you would tell them the reason: Earth's mass has a gravitational pull on the moon.
What's the difference between an explanation and a reason? An explanation is based on language, while a reason doesn't have to be stated in language. A reason always exists before it is put into words.
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