THE PROBLEM OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTUITION AND LOGICAL REASON IN WESTERN AND EASTERN PHILOSOPHICAL SYSTEMS

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the features of the correlation between intuition and logical reason as the cognitive foundations of philosophical thinking in different cultural traditions. Methodologically, conceptual analysis of philosophical notions, thematic interpretation of primary sources, and comparative-philosophical juxtaposition of models were used. The analysis was based on the consistent systematisation of the categories of intuition and logic, the identification of the functions and interrelations within the structure of philosophical cognition, as well as on the comparison of epistemological approaches in different cultural contexts. As a result of the study, it was established that the notions of intuition and logical reason form fundamental supports of philosophical thinking; however, the status, functions, and correlation vary considerably depending on the cultural tradition. In a number of systems, intuition was construed as an autonomous form of knowledge possessing an immediate connection with truth and an inner moral legitimacy. Logical reason, in turn, performed the functions of formalisation, systematisation, and justification, but in several cases was recognised as a derivative of intuitive apprehension. In Eastern conceptions, intuition predominated as a form of spiritual experience and holistic perception, whereas logic was regarded as an instrument for expressing experience already grasped. In Western models, by contrast, logic dominated as a criterion of objectivity and rational certainty, while intuition served as a source of initial impulses or a priori structures. Fundamental differences were identified between dualistic and non-dualistic pictures of cognition, as well as differences in the ethical-political foundations of philosophical systems associated with the priority either of an external rational order or of an inner moral choice. The practical significance of the study consisted in the formation of a theoretical basis for philosophical dialogue between different models of thinking and in the development of cognitive-humanitarian approaches that take into account the plurality of paths to knowledge.