Rationalism
Rationalism posits that reason and logic are the primary sources of knowledge and truth. This school of thought often contrasts with empiricism.
I. Time
| Extent | Infinite |
| Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Grain | Continuous |
| Freedom | Deterministic |
| Traversability | Linear |
| Dimensionality | One |
| Direction | Uni-directional |
Time is substantival and infinite — it is a real dimension of a rationally ordered universe knowable through a priori reasoning. For Leibniz, time is the order of successive phenomena; for Spinoza, God's infinite being implies infinite temporal extent. Time is continuous, linear, uni-directional, and deterministic because the rational structure of reality permits no gaps or contingencies.
II. Space
| Extent | Infinite |
| Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Curvature | Flat |
| Dimensionality | Three |
| Locality | Local |
Space is substantival and infinite — it is the spatial dimension of a rationally ordered universe. For Descartes, space is identical with extended substance (res extensa); for Leibniz, it is the relational order of coexisting phenomena. Space is flat, local, and three-dimensional, fully comprehensible through reason.
III. Matter
| Extent | Finite |
| Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Conservation | Conserved |
| Dimensionality | Three |
| Locality | Local |
Matter is substantival and finite — it is one of the fundamental substances of reality (res extensa for Descartes). Matter is fully governed by rational, deterministic laws and is conserved through all transformations. The rationalist treats matter as completely intelligible to reason, with no residue of brute, unexplained facticity.
IV. Observer
| Time Instance | Single |
| Space Instance | Single |
| Extent of Knowledge | Total |
| Retainment of Knowledge | Total |
| Physicality | Both |
| Agency | Passive |
| Number | Singular |
V. Energy
Energy is substantival and finite — it is a rationally ordered quantity governed by necessary laws. Conservation is strict: the rational structure of reality guarantees that energy is preserved. Dispersibility is irreversible as a consequence of the deterministic laws governing the natural world.
VI. Information
Rational truths — mathematical, logical, and a priori information — exist independently of sensory experience and are necessarily preserved.