THE REAL IS RATIONAL AND THE RATIONAL IS REAL

In the medieval world, the " Theory of Two Swords " was prevalent. It can be understood as a particular doctrine of " the sacred authority of the priesthood and the royal power " . But a group of intellectuals with an awakened mind opposed this reality. With their rational mindset they brought the reality of a world that was free of orthodoxy . Thus , the result was a modern Europe , that became precursor to today's modern world. 

                   Real is rational and rational is real is a famous quote given by the great philosopher Hegel. But this quote carries immense significance in our everyday life . If we delve deeper into the quote , we have to explore the meaning of what is real . Then we will explore what is the meaning of being rational. Subsequently, we will try to establish the relation between reality and rationality and how both the ideas supplement and complement each other. 

Reality Vs Rationality

Reality is something that we perceive with the help of our senses. The senses are not only our five senses but also includes our intuition, or famously what we refer as to be the sixth sense. On the other hand, rationality explains an object with logic. It is backed by experiments and data. Whatever canbe expressesd by good reasoning must be real. Rational means we are not bound by our preconceived notions. We are open to new ideas, even if it creates dissonance. Rationality means seeing the things as they are rather than they ought to be. It is reinforced by facts and figures.  

        Now let us try to find out how reality is rational. Since ages reality of what we say and believe has forced us to find out a logical source to that particular belief. For example, when we consider the Vedic age, we find cows to be most worshipped animal of all. The rationality behind this reality is that Vedic society was an agrarian society . The cow was the most used animal; hence it was worshipped the most. Similarly , when we delve into medieval society , feudalism was the order of society . Hence, monarchy as a system of government became the natural cause . Similarly, in the post- industrial revolution society , demand for goods increased manifold . Hence, the use of machines became inevitable and rational . Subsequently , capitalism became the reality. 

            The reality of ancient society was more or less egalitarian one . So ,Sabha and Samiti were considered to be the ideal form of government . In feudalism , hierarchy became the reality . Therefore , divine theory of kinship became natural and rational. Later when we enterd the modern world , liberal world order became the real world order . So, automatically democracy grew out to be the rational system of government.

           In the economic arena, in ancient society there was no formalized currency system , hence barter system became the rataional system of trade. In the medieval age there  was a huge accumulation of wealth . So, the use of metal currency became the rational choice. Similarly in modern times, interconnectedness of the world economy , inflation and counterfeiting of currency became a reality . Hence , the use of proper standardized paper currency became the rational choice. Recently , due to the surge in digital economy , electronic transacations have become quite rational. 

        Now this quote stands true in the scientific arena as well. In reality , Newton had seen apple falling from tree. So, naturally his curiosity ignited his rationality , which led to the discovery of the theory of Gravitation . Smilarly , the reality of Indian poverty, led Dadabhai Naoroji to formulate the most rational drain of wealth theory . This thoery busted the myth of Benevolent Despotism of the British and exposed the utter exploitation of Indian Democracy . 

                  Similary , in the environmental sector as well , global warming has become a reality . Subsequently , it has become quite rational that countries have adopted Intended Nationally Determined Contribution [INDC] to combat the changing environment. In recent times , the COVID-19  pandemic has made the use of masks a rational choice . 

HOW RATIONAL BECOMES REAL ? 

Now let us now see that what is rational becomes real as well . Sometimes we cannot perceive the truth of a particular phenomenon but rationality of that event makes it real . In ancient times , the division of society into varnas was rational , considering the specialization required in profession . But this rationality made caste divisions in society real , which later took an ugly turn . 

Similarly , Socrates preferred to die because he knew that his rational ideas were  real . He kmew that the reality of his ideas would triumph  over the falsehood of irrational ideas. In fact , later when Galileo and Copernicus had questioned the rationality of geocentrism they were punished , but this rationality gve rise to the heliocentric  theory of earth. Thus, rationality gave rise to reality. 

    Rationality in the human mind gices rise to the quest for knowledge . For example , if we consider the phenomena of quantum mechanics , it is invisible to our eyes . But as this model is rational it has given rise to real knowledge domain and it can explain various diverse phenomena.

       Similarly , if we coonsider the case of Indian Constitution , earlier Indian judiciary was following procedure  established by law . But after the Maneka Gandhi case , citing substantiality of law as rationale clause , judiciary adopted due process of law as well. 

Conclusion

However, sometimes reality and rationality clash . If we consider the phenomena of communalism and regionalism - though they are real, they are not rational . Our senses are not always perfect , sometimes waht we see may not be real . For example , let us consider the phenomena of counterfeiting of currency . At one go the currency notes appear real to our eyes , but neither are they real nor is circulating them rational . Likewise , in the world of human emotions , infidelity in relationships is an outcome of a clash between rationality and reality . 

             But in this essay , we have explored how most of the time , reality and rationality complement each other. Reality and rationality can be comprehended by rational mindset . It helps us to broaden our mindset and saves us from parochialism. So, in the present times , it becomes very necessary that through intelligence and emotional prudence one develops rationality , so that the reality of a beautiful and peaceful world triumphs over falsehood , darkness and irrationality .