哲學裡面reason 和rationality是如何翻譯的？有什麼區別？

02-11

最好能具體說明在哲學領域這兩個詞是如何翻譯的

以下為個人感覺上的區分（區別肯定有，但有沒有我說得那麼簡單就未必）：

reason：主要是在邏輯和邏格斯（logos）的層面講的。提供的是理論性的推理和解釋，以及一般意義上的理智應遵循某些普遍的理論原則，並且應具有對行動的影響力（人不是僅服從本能的動物，而是要服從reason）。規範性的意義強一點。

rationality：主要是在選擇（被rational choice theory描述）和具體實踐層面講的，提供的是對某個/某類具體事項、行動的評判。規範性的意義稍弱一點。

舉個栗子。我們可以用這兩個詞談論某個道德上有爭議的行動----比如說謊。說謊的reason可能有很多，比如說獲得自身的個人利益、幫助他人或安撫他人（所謂「善意的謊言」）等等。正常人在說謊前一般都要做一番這方面的考慮，即從行動的目的出發，進行理論的推理以預測該行動的後果；別人事後如果知道某人在說謊，那大概也會通過推理尋找其reason，以作為對它的解釋。如果通過推理髮覺這個行動的reason比較充分的，那就可以把它視為rational，特別是指其目的可以落實為reason並被理智者理解。否則就是隨機說謊或成為惡習，一般人都不好接受甚至認為這樣的人「有毛病」。

更進一步，說謊的reason中可能有一些是普適性的甚至抽象的（即不是基於利益等的特定實際需要）----可能有個高階的普遍原則「要求」人在那個時候都應該說謊（類似但反過來的是，康德基於另一些高階普遍原則要求人從來都不應該說謊），哪怕這類遵循原則的reason甚至可能違背直覺和導致行動者的損失、犧牲。針對如此reason指導下的那一類行動，大多人的直觀反應就很可能是它不夠rational，但有時也可能相反，這樣的判斷就是相當情景化的。比如有人認為不應該鼓勵犧牲，有的人認為為了某些原則在特定情景下就應該犧牲。這些對相應人士而言是rational，但持反對意見者肯定不是這樣認為。又比如與康德相反，他的反對者可以認為在某特定情景下說謊救人是rational。這時他們都有各自的reason支持。總之，你接受哪種rationality就要看你信服哪種reason。換句話說規範性的來源要從reason的層面上去考慮，其爭議也是reason之間的抗衡。而rationality則依賴於由reason帶來的規範性。

最終，根據以上區分，如果翻譯的語境可能引起對reason和rationality之間對比的討論，個人喜歡的翻譯是：

reason：理性

rationality：合理性

詞源

rationality (n.)

1620s, "quality of having reason;" 1650s, "fact of being agreeable to reason," from French rationalité, from Late Latin rationalitas "reasonableness, rationality" (also source of Spanish racionalidad, Italian razionalita), from Latin rationalis (see rational).

rational (adj.)

late 14c., "pertaining to reason;" mid-15c., "endowed with reason," from Old French racionel and directly from Latin rationalis "of or belonging to reason, reasonable," from ratio (genitive rationis) "reckoning, calculation, reason" (see ratio).

ratio (n.)

1630s, "reason, rationale," from Latin ratio "reckoning, numbering, calculation; business affair, procedure," also "reason, reasoning, judgment, understanding," from rat-, past participle stem of reri "to reckon, calculate," also "think" (see reason (n.)).

reason (n.)

c. 1200, "intellectual faculty that adopts actions to ends," also "statement in an argument, statement of explanation or justification," from Anglo-Frenchresoun, Old French raison "course; matter; subject; language, speech; thought, opinion," from Latin rationem (nominative ratio) "reckoning, understanding, motive, cause," from ratus, past participle of reri "to reckon, think," from PIE root *re(i)- "to reason, count" (source of Old English r?dan"to advise;" see read (v.)).

read (v.)

Old English r?dan (West Saxon), redan (Anglian) "to advise, counsel, persuade; discuss, deliberate; rule, guide; arrange, equip; forebode; read, explain; learn by reading; put in order" (related to r?d, red "advice"), from Proto-Germanic *redan (source also of Old Norse raea, Old Frisian reda, Dutch raden, Old High German ratan, German raten "to advise, counsel, guess"), from PIE root *re(i)- "to reason, count" (source also of Sanskrit radh- "to succeed, accomplish," Greek arithmos "number, amount," Old Church Slavonic raditi "to take thought, attend to," Old Irish im-radim "to deliberate, consider"). Words from this root in most modern Germanic languages still mean "counsel, advise."

比較

reason

充足理由律:Principle sufficient reason,

純粹理性:Pure reason,

實踐理性:Practical reason,

道德理性:Moral reason

rationality

工具理性:Instrumental rationality,or Instrumental reason.

價值理性:Value rationality or Value rational action

結構理性:Structural rationality

公共理性:Public rationality

總結：

當提到人與生俱來的能力時，提到根本原則性的無立場的推理、思考、陳述時，用reason。

當提到從某種思考推理作用下的行為結果中，二次建立的，帶結論的，帶立場的原則、推理或思考考時，用rationality。

隨時間流逝，當下二者的區別已經越來越少，經常混用。

參考SEP，etymonline

非專業。

漢語都可以說成理性，但reason指的是理性、理智本身，而rationality是rational的名詞形式，即類似「理智性」「理性性」「有理（性）性」。

注意reason/rationality/rational跟reasonable/reasonableness是兩碼事。就像漢語里的「理」和「合理」的區別（「合理」的至少三類解讀，「合理」「合乎理」和「合乎理性」，截然相異）一樣。