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{{Epistemology sidebar}}
'''Rationality''' is the [[Quality (philosophy)|quality]] of being guided by or based on [[reason]]. In this regard, a person [[Action (philosophy)|acts]] rationally if they have a good reason for what they do, or a [[belief]] is rational if it is based on strong [[evidence]]. This quality can apply to an ability, as in a [[rational animal]], to a psychological [[process]], like [[Logical reasoning|reasoning]], to [[mental state]]s, such as [[belief]]s and [[intention]]s, or to [[person]]s who possess these other forms of rationality. A thing that lacks rationality is either ''arational'', if it is outside the domain of rational evaluation, or ''[[irrational]]'', if it belongs to this domain but does not fulfill its standards.
There are many discussions about the [[Essence|essential features]] shared by all forms of rationality. According to reason-responsiveness accounts, to be rational is to be responsive to reasons. For example, dark clouds are a reason for taking an [[umbrella]], which is why it is rational for an agent to do so in response. An important rival to this approach are coherence-based accounts, which define rationality as internal coherence among the agent's mental states. Many rules of coherence have been suggested in this regard, for example, that one should not hold [[contradictory]] beliefs or that one should intend to do something if one believes that one should do it. Goal-based accounts characterize rationality in relation to goals, such as acquiring [[truth]] in the case of theoretical rationality. [[Internalism and externalism|Internalists]] believe that rationality depends only on the person's [[mind]]. Externalists contend that external factors may also be relevant. Debates about the [[normativity]] of rationality concern the question of whether one should always be rational. A further discussion is whether rationality requires that all beliefs be reviewed from scratch rather than trusting pre-existing beliefs.
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