empiricism Essay - 1554 Words

Empiricism Empiricism by nature is the belief that there is no knowledge without experience. How can one know what something tastes like if they have never tasted it? For example, would someone know that an apple is red if they have never actually have seen one. Someone can tell you an apple is red, but, if you never have seen one, can you really be sure? Empiricists use three anchor points in which they derive their opinions from. The first of these points is; the only source of genuine knowledge is sense experience. An easier way to understand this is to compare the mind to a clean sponge. As the sponge touches things, it takes with it, a piece of everything it touches. Without this, the sponge would remain clean and be void of anything†¦show more content†¦Another of the classic empiricists is George Berkeley (1685-1753), who believes that knowledge is possible. He believed that â€Å"it was only through experience and not reason that we have knowledge of reality† (p.99). The best way to describe what Berkeley was trying to say would be found in what we call today idealism. Idealism by definition is a position that maintains that ultimate reality is mental or spiritual in nature. He believed that reality is made up in many individual minds rather than one cosmic mind. Hence, when Berkeley says that we have an idea o f something he is not necessarily referring to a particular concept but to the experience of our memory of the combined ideas. The third empiricist is David Hume (1711-1776) and he does not answer this question as easily as the first two have. He believes that knowledge is possible but is limited by what we cannot know about the world outside of our own experience. Since we can only know the contents of our individual minds, knowledge would and can be different for each person. Hume believes that sensory data is key for any individual in order to know something is real. For example, if two people were sitting together, one possessing the ability to see and hear and the other does not, could the one the latter really know that a car drove by and that fact that it was red? Examples like this one are why HumeShow MoreRelatedEmpiricism and Experience1575 Words   |  7 PagesEmpiricism Empiricism by nature is the belief that there is no knowledge without experience. How can one know what something tastes like if they have never tasted it? For example, would someone know that an apple is red if they have never actually have seen one. Someone can tell you an apple is red, but, if you never have seen one, can you really be sure? Empiricists use three anchor points in which they derive their opinions from. The first of these points is; the only source of genuine knowledgeRead MoreEmpiricism In Grendel1503 Words   |  7 Pagesto see if he truly aligns and believes in the philosophy. 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Empiricism states that ourRead MoreEmpiricism and Rationalism Essay1020 Words   |  5 Pages(Markie, 2008, section 1.2) Yet, philosophical empiricism is defined in such an absolute way; which causes philosophical empiricism to be an inaccurate philosophical position from which to address all aspects of human life. Philosophical empiricism is defined as â€Å"the belief that all human knowledge arises from sense experience.† (Nash, 1999, page 254) Yet, medical empiricism is so far to the other extreme as to be insulting, while this empiricism is still said to be based on all sensory experience;Read MoreThe Philosophical View Of Empiricism1382 Words   |  6 Pagesis called Empiricism, and it was made famous by a philosopher named David Hume. Empiricism states that our knowledge should come from sensory experience, impressions, and observation. The other philosophical view I will be taking about is called Rationalism. Many people who don’t agree with empiricism lean more towards Rationalism. 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