The notion of rationality, which is used to define the ability to reason correctly or justify thoughts, has prevailed in a wide range of studies, including religion or anthropology, due to the inability to create a universal definition of what is rational. How can we collectively decide what is “irrational” or “rational” in a world with an immense variety of cultural practices and beliefs, when what is accepted in one area may not be tolerated in another? Perhaps the general view that Westernized societies have the correct interpretation of rationality is a legitimate conclusion, but this agreement may just be the result of the influence and power they have exercised over the way the world has been run for a period of such a long time. To study the topic of rationality, including the ideas above, Paul Stoller presents three approaches in his essay on rationality. These different tactics are: universalist, relativist and phenomenological. (240) The idea of ​​rationality is seen as a more recent construct, loosely based on European Enlightenment thought and then coined in the late 19th century as a result of the study of human evolution. However, this expansion was limited to European culture until the French philosopher Lucian Levy-Bruhl included and elaborated the rationality of “primitive” societies. While most thinkers dismissed the possibility that any civilization that departed from European customs could act “rationally,” Levy-Bruhl argued that they were simply at an earlier stage of social advances in science, and then religion. His ideas are used to justify the practice of magic and mysticism in cultures, such as in the West African town of Wanzerbe. (241)A universalist lens... middle of paper......to interpret or react to events, or realities, and what determines what is rational is designating the most “natural” attitude. Schutz argued that the resulting “natural” attitude is the most rational in the context of the person in question because his or her most innate response reflects the most revered social beliefs. (249) In defense of non-Western practices, phenomenologists focus on the idea of ​​embodiment, a concept that discredits the separation of mind and body. An example of this idea are the Songhay sorcerers and griots, who allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the intricate elements of the world in order to connect to the rationality of everything. (252) Therefore, determining what is “rational” is a complex and ultimately indefinable task, since the concept itself elicits a wide variety of interpretations, even in favor of primitive societies..