Companion to Rationalism

This book is a wide-ranging examination of rationalist thought in philosophy from ancient times to the present day.§Written by a superbly qualified cast of philosophers§Critically analyses the concept of rationalism§Focuses principally on the golden age of rationalism in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries§Also covers ancient rationalism, nineteenth-century rationalism, and rationalist themes in recent thought§Organised chronologically§Various philosophical methods and viewpoints are representedThe rationalist impulse has guided Western philosophical thought from its beginnings in ancient Greece to the present day. In this Companion, a cast of established and rising stars in philosophy lays out the historical roots, the celebrated expressions, the controversies, and the contemporary determinations of rationalist thought.§The volume opens with essays examining the nature of the rationalist impulse to philosophize, and the distinction between rationalism and empiricism. The focus of the remainder of the volume is on the "golden age" of rationalism in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. However, this is set in the context of its historical development and the appearance of rationalist themes in recent thought. The material is organized chronologically, and various philosophical methods and viewpoints are represented throughout.