HIS109Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 36: Scientific Method, Behaviorism, Franz Kafka
Ibraheem Aziz Feb 29/2016
HIS109Y – L0101 Lec 36
Reactions to Rationalism
• Rationalism is the construct under which we live and function
• Rationalism was institutionalized in societal functions and based upon coherent arguments used
to prove demonstrable truths
• Not possible for the human mind to think irrationally on its own, in society
• Human reason is supreme over operation, and operations occur in a trained, focused manner
• Darwin argued that inconsistencies in nature could be addressed through reason
• Escaping the iron laws of logic and reason is extremely difficult
• Belief in progress through reason and gifts conferred by reason should be celebrated
• Law of Acceleration taught that human reason applied to problems and difficulties of the world
would make them go away; every time you solve a problem, the solution is the solution to other
problems as well (geometric arithmetical effect)
• Second half of the 19th century saw more understanding of the universe than the other periods
of civilization combined
• People who were less than convinced in scientism began to challenge views of the universe
• Many thinkers were the products of horrible and terrible events
o Frenchmen were shattered by the defeat of their nation by the Prussians in 1807 and
the Paris Communes
o Defined as a group by M. Barres as Les Déracinés
o Individuals sought comfort in irrational, political movements
o In reaction to rationalism, pessimism emerged
o Liberal thought seemed to be bankrupt and dangerous
o Scientism brought about mechanized slaughter and evil
o Extreme German nationalism occurred at the expense of the French and F. Nietzsche
(1844-1900) said that the Frao-Prussian War was a crusade against Latin vice and
ratioalis
• What was portrayed as the false façade of rationalism occurred – unseen events – were desired
to be explored and delved upon
• Images of the world was projected subjectively
• A. Strindberg (1849-1912) was initially a scientist and Darwinian, but changed after the
monotony and mechanism of the scientific method was clear to him
• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) explored the dark side of the human psyche and was a scientist –
used scientific method to understand the nature of the subconscious beneath reason and
psychoanalysis
o When Darwin put humans back into the jungle, we had the qualities possessed by
animals – instinct that cannot be justified by reason
o Human have instincts that are justified by reason
• Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) saw animals can be conditioned to behave in certain pre-programmed
ways
o Followers developed behaviourism – humans are physiological beings and are
conditioned to use physiological programming in certain ways
• We can program people to behave in certain ways by determining their responses to certain
stimuli in behaviourism
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