Rational is that linked to reason.
From the Latin rationalis , rational is that which belongs to or is relative to reason . This concept has numerous uses, such as references to the power of thought, the motive or cause, the argument used to support something, or the quotient of two numbers.
Rational, therefore, is that which arises from reasoning, that is in accordance with reason or that is endowed with it . For example: “Do not explain to me what happened with unusual arguments: I want to hear a rational explanation” , “The deputy has proven to be a rational man who knows how to act in these circumstances” , “If you were a little more rational, you would not have bought such a car only on impulse.”
The rational and the irrational
The rational is opposed to the irrational . If a man has heart problems, rational behavior involves taking care of his health and not taking unnecessary risks. If said person decides to skydive, it could be said that he or she is not acting rationally.
Sometimes, the line that divides what is rational from what is irrational is very thin, and it is difficult to perceive it clearly. The decision of a woman who occupies a management position in a large company and who chooses to resign to start her own business may be considered rational by some (since she will have greater autonomy and will not have a ceiling for her profits) and as irrational by others (who believe it is a risky bet and that you should not leave a well-paying job).
The rational is born from reasoning.
Human beings and animals
Various sources extend throughout infinite paragraphs to exalt the figure of the human being among all the species on this planet, to the point of describing us as entities that border on divinity. It is said that we are the only rational beings, and that this distinguishes us from the rest of the animals, which is why it is not entirely correct to assume that we belong to the same kingdom as the latter.
Continuing with the observations accepted by the majority, human beings are the only ones who are aware of their own existence, which leads us to want to modify our environment and turn the world into a human place. We are not satisfied with what nature gives us, with the natural disposition of things, but we need to leave our mark to feel more comfortable and protected, regardless of the consequences of our changes, the suffering they generate in others.
On the other hand, those who study our supposed superiority assure that only we can foresee our death, which drives us to take advantage of our life and make of it something of our own, unique, unlike the rest of the species. And it is this last point that is especially laughable: just look out the window to see hundreds of people dragging out their routine lives, which are nothing more than almost exact replicas of the lives of their parents, who in turn imitated the yours, and so on.
Can a scientist really propagandize our species, while the streets are full of people who do not know how to cover their unhappiness, who do not stop to think about their own existence because they are stunned by technology that only a few are capable of creating and with the plastic lives of famous people? The new generations write increasingly worse, they read less and less; people abandon their profession to run to the altar and reproduce... Are we really in a position to flaunt our intellect in front of beings that do not need anyone to get their food, that heal by themselves and that do not destroy the balance of the nature?
The rational numbers
The idea of rational is also used in the field of mathematics. Specifically, it allows you to qualify a type of number.
A rational number , in this way, is one that can be represented as the quotient of two integers with a denominator other than zero.