anti-rationality
|an-ti-ra-tion-al-i-ty|
/ˌæn.ti.ræʃəˈnælɪti/
opposition to reason
Etymology
'anti-rationality' originates from a compound of Greek and Latin-derived English elements: the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') combined with 'rationality' (from Latin 'rationalitas', related to 'ratio', meaning 'reason').
'rationality' developed from Latin 'rationalitas' (from 'rationalis', "pertaining to reason", from 'ratio' "reason"). The English noun 'rationality' arose via Late Latin/Medieval Latin into modern English, and the productive English prefix 'anti-' (ultimately from Greek) was attached to form the compound 'anti-rationality' in recent English usage.
Initially, the elements referred specifically to 'against' ('anti-') and 'reason' ('ratio'); over time the compound came to denote the broader idea of opposition to the use of reason as a guiding principle, rather than a narrowly literal 'against reason' phrasing.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
opposition to or rejection of rationality; a stance or doctrine that denies the primacy of reason and logic in favor of emotion, tradition, faith, or other nonrational bases for belief and action.
The political movement's rhetoric often edged into anti-rationality, favoring appeals to tradition and emotion over empirical evidence.
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Noun 2
a tendency or pattern of behavior or thought characterized by disregard for logical argument or evidence — e.g., cultural practices, policies, or decisions that favor nonrational considerations.
Critics warned that corporate decisions based on superstition rather than analysis reflected a broader anti-rationality within the organization.
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Last updated: 2025/11/18 09:58