The Sentiment of Rationality
E661613
"The Sentiment of Rationality" is an essay by philosopher William James that explores how our need for emotional satisfaction and psychological comfort shapes what we consider rational belief.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Sentiment of Rationality canonical | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T7410855 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: The Sentiment of Rationality Context triple: [The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, hasEssay, The Sentiment of Rationality]
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A.
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
"Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters" is a non-fiction book by cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker that explores the nature of human reasoning, why people often think irrationally, and how better reasoning can improve individual and societal decision-making.
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B.
Constructions of Reason
Constructions of Reason is a philosophical work by Onora O’Neill that develops a Kantian account of practical reason, autonomy, and justification in ethics and political philosophy.
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C.
Farewell to Reason
Farewell to Reason is a philosophical work by Paul Feyerabend that critiques rationalism and defends epistemological pluralism in science and society.
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D.
"Social and Rational"
"Social and Rational" is the subtitle of Herbert A. Simon’s influential book *Models of Man*, which explores human decision-making by integrating insights from economics, psychology, and social science.
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E.
The Art of Thought
The Art of Thought is a seminal 1926 book by social psychologist Graham Wallas that introduced the influential four-stage model of the creative process (preparation, incubation, illumination, verification).
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: The Sentiment of Rationality Target entity description: "The Sentiment of Rationality" is an essay by philosopher William James that explores how our need for emotional satisfaction and psychological comfort shapes what we consider rational belief.
-
A.
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
"Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters" is a non-fiction book by cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker that explores the nature of human reasoning, why people often think irrationally, and how better reasoning can improve individual and societal decision-making.
-
B.
Constructions of Reason
Constructions of Reason is a philosophical work by Onora O’Neill that develops a Kantian account of practical reason, autonomy, and justification in ethics and political philosophy.
-
C.
Farewell to Reason
Farewell to Reason is a philosophical work by Paul Feyerabend that critiques rationalism and defends epistemological pluralism in science and society.
-
D.
"Social and Rational"
"Social and Rational" is the subtitle of Herbert A. Simon’s influential book *Models of Man*, which explores human decision-making by integrating insights from economics, psychology, and social science.
-
E.
The Art of Thought
The Art of Thought is a seminal 1926 book by social psychologist Graham Wallas that introduced the influential four-stage model of the creative process (preparation, incubation, illumination, verification).
- F. None of above. chosen
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
philosophical essay
ⓘ
work on philosophy of religion ⓘ |
| addresses |
the human need for security in belief
ⓘ
the psychological basis of philosophical systems ⓘ the role of risk and uncertainty in belief ⓘ |
| argues |
that a sense of rationality includes a feeling of mental rest and ease
ⓘ
that abstract systems can fail when they do not fit our concrete needs ⓘ that beliefs must satisfy both logical and emotional needs ⓘ that what seems rational is partly determined by temperament ⓘ |
| author | William James NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| critiques | overly intellectualist accounts of rationality ⓘ |
| explores |
how emotional satisfaction influences what is judged rational
ⓘ
limits of purely intellectual conceptions of rationality ⓘ the relation between intellectual justification and feeling ⓘ the role of psychological comfort in belief ⓘ |
| field |
ethics
ⓘ
philosophy of mind ⓘ philosophy of religion ⓘ |
| hasConcept |
practical consequences as a test of rationality
ⓘ
sentiment of rationality as a feeling of harmony between thought and world ⓘ temperament as a factor in philosophical belief ⓘ |
| includedIn | collections of William James’s philosophical essays ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
American pragmatism
ⓘ
empiricism ⓘ psychology ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainTopic |
emotion and reason
ⓘ
epistemology ⓘ pragmatism ⓘ psychological needs in belief formation ⓘ rational belief ⓘ |
| notableFor |
anticipating themes in James’s later pragmatism
ⓘ
emphasizing the experiential aspect of rational belief ⓘ linking rationality to emotional and psychological satisfaction ⓘ |
| philosophicalSchool | pragmatism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| philosophicalTheme |
fallibilism about rational systems
ⓘ
pluralism about reasonable worldviews ⓘ the interplay of intellect, will, and feeling in belief ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Pragmatism
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The Varieties of Religious Experience NERFINISHED ⓘ The Will to Believe NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedIn |
courses on American philosophy
ⓘ
debates about the nature of rationality ⓘ discussions of pragmatist theories of justification ⓘ |
How these facts were elicited
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Instruction
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Input
Subject: The Sentiment of Rationality Description of subject: "The Sentiment of Rationality" is an essay by philosopher William James that explores how our need for emotional satisfaction and psychological comfort shapes what we consider rational belief.
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy
→
hasEssay
→
The Sentiment of Rationality
ⓘ