Exposed to Western rationalism, Arabs have been agitated to extremes of honor and shame, professing deep admiration but actually feeling the profoundest inferiority.

His argument suggests that contact with Western rationalism traumatized the Arabs.

Socialism was opposed by Slavophiles as an alien thought, and Russian mysticism was preferred over "Western rationalism".

The Slavophiles viewed Slavic philosophy as a source of wholeness in Russia and were sceptical of Western rationalism and materialism.

It could be said, however, that this type of critique of Western rationalism itself belongs to a tradition within Western culture.

By 1492, Western scientific rationalism was becoming spectacularly efficient.

But later generations, who had imbibed more of the spirit of Western rationalism, would find that reason alone could not yield a sense of the sacred.

"Open Heart" makes one think of Maugham's "Razor's Edge" in its turn toward the exotic, specifically India's supposed capacity for both enriching and disturbing minds normally tuned to the frequencies of Western rationalism.

It is important to note that even in the first flush of Western rationalism, the religious experience of God remained primary, coming before discussion or logical understanding.

Western rationalism versus Eastern mysticism is the theme of "The Monk and the Philosopher," a dialogue between representatives of each side of that great divide who happen to be father and son.