Reason

‘Reason’ and ‘knowledge’, and the relationship between them, were major themes in Enlightenment philosophy, and drew the attention of some of the most respected philosophers of the time, including Decartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza, often referred to as the rationalists, and Locke, Berkeley, and Hume, the so-called empiricists. Since then, the empiricists have tended to have the upper hand in intellectual life, if not always in philosophy. In this event, we discuss what was at stake in these debates, what we might say about these ideas today, and whether we’ve been too quick to dismiss rationalism.

Alexander Douglas is a Lecturer in Philosophy, University of St. Andrews.

Peter Millican is Gilbert Ryle Fellow and Professor of Philosophy, Hertford College, Oxford University.

Kristen Walsh is Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Nottingham

Clare Moriarty (@quiteclare) is a Fellow, the Forum, LSE.

The Forum for European Philosophy (@ForumPhilosophy) is an educational charity that organises a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK. 

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