Blackwell Reference Online

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M etaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, logic, philosophy of action [Latin, corresponding to the Greek logos , and sharing the complicated and wide usage of the latter] Ratio can be used for the objective meaning of a thing (in a sense close to form) , to the power to discern such meanings (in a sense close to mind) , to the capacity to draw what is true from the premises when we pursue truth, and to the capacity to determine what to do when we plan action In English, ratio can be translated by terms such as reason, argument , or description Generally, ratio is contrasted with emotion and appetite, which it is normally supposed to control in us. In the philosophy of Spinoza , ratio is the second way of knowing , in contrast to imagination (perception) and scientific intuition Ratio is exemplified in the thinking of scientists, who begin with common and evident truths and proceed to draw general conclusions from them. The model of this type of thinking is Euclidean geometry. “The Ratio expressed in a word is something the intellect [intellectus] conceives from things and expresses in speech.” Aquinas, Summa Theologiae ... log in or subscribe to read full text