Constructivism and Rationalism

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts constructivism and rationalism, two philosophies that fundamentally oppose each other. The paper takes a particular look at Aristotle's constructivism and Plato/Socrates' rationalism. It argues that the core of this opposition is that, according to constructivism, human knowledge does not reflect reality, while rationalism believes that it does. The paper concludes that, despite its problematic nature, rationalism is a truer philosophical approach.

From the Paper:

"Constructivist theory finds its roots in the ancient Greek philosophers, including Aristotle, who argued "man is the measure of all things". In other words, Aristotle believed that man, or the knowledge of man, is the accumulated result of the human experience, which is the cumulated result of the how humans have perceived their world as opposed to how their world actually is. Thus, human reality become reality not because its based in reason and rational thinking, but because it is what we have constructed it to be. As Kant stated in 1708: "The norm of the truth is to have made it" or simply the truth is what one makes true instead of what is actually true."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ackrill, J.L. (1988): New Aristotle Reader. Princeton University Press.
• Aristotle, and Chase, D.P. (1998): Nicomachean Ethics. Dover: Dover Thrift Edition Series.
• Aristotle, and W. Rhys Roberts. (2004): Rhetoric. Dover: Dover Publications.
• McCrone, John. (1994): Myth of Irrationality. Avalon Publishing Group.
• Williams, Christopher. (1998): Cultivated Reason: An Essay on Hume and Humeanism. Pennsylvania State University Press.

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