reason

(noun)

The capacity for consciously making sense of the world based on logic and evidence.

Related Terms

  • inference
  • syllogism
  • logic

Examples of reason in the following topics:

  • Reasoning and Inference

    • Reason is how we form inferences about the world; there are different types of reasoning, which have different advantages.
    • Reason and reasoning (i.e., the ability to apply reason) are associated with thinking, cognition, and intelligence.
    • Deductive reasoning has the advantage that, if your original premises are true in all situations and your reasoning is correct, your conclusion is guaranteed to be true.
    • Scientists use inductive reasoning to create theories and hypotheses.
    • Inductive reasoning is more practical to the real world because it does not rely on a known claim; however, for this same reason, inductive reasoning can lead to faulty conclusions.
  • Reasoning

    • We use many mental shortcuts when conducting inductive, deductive, abductive, and analogous reasoning to find a solution to a problem.
    • Reason or "reasoning" is associated with thinking, cognition, and intellect.
    • In order to solve problems, we utilize four major forms of reasoning: deduction, induction, abduction, and analogy.
    • Induction is often described as reasoning that derives general principles from specific observations.
    • Unlike deductive reasoning , it allows for the possibility that the conclusion is false, even if all the premises are true.
  • Psychology and the Scientific Method

    • Several types of reasoning exist.
    • Simple reasoning involves one reason which supports one conclusion.
    • Side by side reasoning involves two independent reasons which can support one conclusion, independent of one another.
    • Joint reasoning involves two reasons from which only one conclusion can be drawn.
    • An assumption is an unstated reason, usually based on only partially on facts.
  • Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development

    • Moral reasoning in stage four is beyond the need for individual approval exhibited in stage three.
    • Democratic government is theoretically based on stage five reasoning.
    • In stage 6, moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles.
    • She argued that women are not deficient in their moral reasoning and instead proposed that males and females reason differently: girls and women focus more on staying connected and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
    • This often occurs in moral dilemmas involving drinking and driving or business situations where participants have been shown to reason at a lower developmental stage, typically using more self-interest driven reasoning (i.e., stage two) than authority and social order obedience driven reasoning (i.e., stage four).
  • Problem-Solving

    • Often, decisions are reached at the end of significant prior thought and reasoning.
    • However, there are many situations when we decide something 'spontaneously,' with little or no time to reason.
    • This leads to errors in judgment and decision-making because people tend to reason in a subjective (emotion-based) manner rather than objectively - especially when personal interests and beliefs are involved.
    • Intuition phenomenology is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference and/or the use of reason.
  • Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

    • It is characterized by the idea that children's reasoning becomes focused and logical.
    • Piaget determined that in this stage, children are able to incorporate inductive reasoning, which involves drawing inferences from observations in order to make a generalization.
    • In contrast, children struggle with deductive reasoning, which involves using a generalized principle in order to try to predict the outcome of an event.
    • This enables children to engage in the problem-solving method of developing a hypothesis and reasoning their way to plausible solutions.
    • By the end of this stage, children have developed logical and systematic thinking, are capable of deductive reasoning, and can create hypothetical ideas to explain various concepts.
  • Defining Thoughts

    • Researchers have studied thinking in the form of reasoning, how people make decisions and choices or solve problems, and how people engage in creative discovery and imaginative thought.
    • The final stage involves an increase in logic, the ability to use deductive reasoning, and an understanding of abstract ideas.
  • Developmental Psychology

    • Cognitive development involves learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity.
    • Jean Piaget proposed a theory of cognitive development that explains how children think and reason as they move through various stages.
  • Cognitive Development in Adolescence

    • This allows an individual to think and reason with a wider perspective.
    • This stage of cognitive development, termed by Piaget as the formal operational stage, marks a movement from an ability to think and reason from concrete visible events to an ability to think hypothetically and entertain what-if possibilities about the world.
    • An individual can solve problems through abstract concepts and utilize hypothetical and deductive reasoning.
  • Hallucinogens

    • Effects include increased breathing and heart rate, dilated pupils, dehydration, increased color perception, a state of empathetic well-being (feeling as though one is at peace with everyone and everything), and visual distortion: things may appear to move, shapes may appear on textures and exhibit a kaleidoscope-like effect, or lighting may dramatically change for no apparent reason.
    • For this reason, the brain mistakes LSD for serotonin and directs it to the synaptic cleft (instead of actual serotonin).
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