But rationalism is not just the assumption that all others are dumber, rather the realization that some are dumber and some are smarter. The goal then becomes to determine which are which, and to move oneself toward the truth. It assumes that there is some method of comparison, and that not all solutions are equal. It does not assume that the way is clear and unambiguous, nor that the truth is all on one side.

Compare Western medicine with homeopathy. I'd wager my life that there is no such thing as water memory. But at the same time, the placebo effect is definitely real. Where a absolutist would argue that modern medicine has nothing to learn from homeopathy, and a relativistic would argue that from within each system each is equally 'true' for its adherents, a rationalist will feel comfortable disbelieving in the surface explanations of homeopathy while at the same time trying to understand how modern medicine could be improved.