crisis-of-reason

The chapter critiques the widespread claim of a 'crisis of reason,' arguing that such proclamations often lack clarity about what 'reason' or 'crisis' specifically mean. It emphasizes that rather than abandoning reason, contemporary philosophy seeks to redefine and critique it, distinguishing between classical and nonclassical rationalities and warning against conflating reason with truth. The chapter also highlights the overuse and vagueness of 'crisis' in intellectual discourse, questioning the meaningfulness of these declarations.

The chapter explores different conceptions of reason, distinguishing it from instinct and intuitive knowledge, and argues that reason as the capacity for abstraction is not in crisis. It critiques the notion of a crisis of reason by showing that such claims are themselves rational abstractions, and it examines alternative philosophical views on reason, including its identification with direct knowledge of the Absolute and with universal principles as in Platonism, highlighting ongoing debates about the nature and limits of reason.

Eco discusses the crisis of the traditional Cartesian notion of reason as a faculty of judging good and evil or true and false, highlighting how this 'naturalness' has been displaced onto faculties like desire and instinct. He proposes a fifth definition of reason centered on the necessity of shared linguistic and logical rules to enable mutual understanding and rational discourse, emphasizing the conditional and context-dependent application of logical principles such as modus ponens. Eco critiques irrational uses of reason and defends the importance of agreed-upon logical frameworks in both everyday and political life.