Rationalism

Entry 5
Rationalism - one idea of the Enlightenment, from the Latin ratio, meaning 'reason' - is a point of view that states that reason plays the main role in understanding the world and obtaining knowledge.However, this does not mean that they were uninterested in science and experiment – on the contrary, both rationalists and empiricists were keen on scientific enquiry. This was because they were reacting against centuries-old traditions which tried to base an understanding of the world upon ideas put forward by the 4th century BC Greek philosopher Aristotle and the world view of the Bible. Such an outlook was therefore based on tradition and authority, rather than reason and experiment.Rationalism thinks that experience is more important and have more effect of ue than knowledge. ."For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation;but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart."(172)I think Victor has lots of knowledge but he does not have enough experience about his experiment.He has no idea what may happen to create a new life in a laboratory
Source from http://www.philosophyonline.co.uk/tok/rationalism2.htm