Empiricism
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
"If we take in our hand any volume; of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance; let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion." -- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding |
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In philosophy generally, empiricism (from Ancient Greek ἐμπειρία (empeiría, “experience”)) is an epistemological concept, or a theory of knowledge, emphasizing the role of experience and evidence, especially sensory perception, in the formation of ideas, while discounting the notion of innate ideas.
In the philosophy of science, empiricism is a theory of knowledge which emphasizes those aspects of scientific knowledge that are closely related to evidence, especially as formed through deliberate experimental arrangements. It is a fundamental requirement of scientific method that all hypotheses and theories must be tested against observations of the natural world, rather than resting solely on a priori reasoning, intuition, or revelation. Hence, science is considered to be methodologically empirical in nature.
Etymology
The English term empirical derives from the Ancient Greek word ἐμπειρία, empeiria, which is cognate with and translates to the Latin experientia, from which the words experience and experiment are derived.
See also
- Empirical formula
- Empirical knowledge
- Empirical method
- Empirical relationship
- Empirical research
- Empirical validation
- History of scientific method
- Inquiry
- Instrumentalism
- Logical positivism
- Naturalism
- Objectivity
- Peirce, Charles S.
- Phenomenalism
- Pragmatic maxim
- Psychological nativism
- Qualia
- Quasi-empirical method
- Rationalism
- Scientific method
- Sextus Empiricus
- Two Dogmas of Empiricism