Irrationalism and Aestheticism
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The philosophical movements of irrationalism and aestheticism were a cultural reaction against positivism that took place during the early twentieth century. These perspectives opposed or de-emphasized the importance of the rationality of human beings. Instead, they concentrated on Kant's "noumenal realm", or the experience of one's own existence.
Part of the movements involved claims that science was inferior to intuition. In this project, art was given an especially high place, as it was considered the gateway to the "noumenal". Unfortunately, not all of the public at the time were involved in this movement and only elites -- a "Mandarin elitism" -- had access to the art.
Symbolism and existentialism branched out of these schools.