Empiricism is the claim that sense experience is the exclusive beginning of our cognition about the universe. ( Lawhead. 55 ) Harmonizing to Empiricists. such as John Locke. all cognition comes from direct sense experience. Locke’s construct of cognition comes from his belief that the head is a “blank slate or tabula rosa” at birth. and our experiences are written upon the slate. Therefore. there are no unconditioned experiences. The three strengths of empiricist philosophy that will be explained in this paper are: it proves a theory. gives concluding. and inspires others to research chances in scientific discipline as an illustration.
The first strength of empiricist philosophy is it proves a theory. Empiricists believe that merely existent cognition is empirical. We learn from experiment and observation. and the direct cognition we gain from them is empirical. The best manner to cognize something is to hold seen it with our ain eyes and to be able to turn out it with quotable observations or experiments. In fact a existent scientist. or person interested in garnering cognition in a scientific manner of idea. will come up with thoughts for observations and experiments to turn out his hypotheses or to reply his inquiries.
He will ever seek empirical grounds foremost. and trust in it most. An illustration of this is if a scientist said the Earth is round. we could travel up in infinite and expression at the Earth. take images and come back to a decision that proves the Earth is round. They could even travel to the extent and step the Earth mathematically. But in the terminal. the decision would still be that the Earth is round. The 2nd strength of empiricist philosophy is it gives experimental logical thinking. Experimental logical thinking every bit good as past experiences and observations are the beginnings of cognition for empiricist philosophy.
However. the experimental logical thinking. which is based upon cause and consequence logical thinking. is non perfectly and concretely true. All can be capable to alteration. merely as all is capable to some uncertainty when foretelling what would go on in an experiment. Hume states “That the Sun will non lift tomorrow is no less apprehensible a proposition. and implies no more contradiction. than the avowal that it will lift tomorrow” ( Aune 43 ) for the yesteryear is non needfully a direct causing of a future event.
Because of this. scientific discipline. an empirical tool used by world to research the universe around him and to larn more about himself. is merely work in chance. It is safe. based upon a posteriori cognition. that the Sun will lift tomorrow. for it has for millenary upon millenary. and there has been no event to demo that it might non lift tomorrow. Without this experimental logical thinking nevertheless. Empiricism is reduced to past experiences. and yet with it. one is able to do statements such as “The Sun will lift tomorrow” with a great grade of certainty. The 3rd strength of empiricist philosophy is it inspires others to research chances in scientific discipline as an illustration.
The geographic expedition of the terra incognita has ever lured the funny. Researching ways to better our manner of life has been a passion of the modern universe. So cognizing that we could larn a trait that could be used to bring out the unknown is a wonder that is difficult to defy. Empiricism gave the universe a way towards understanding everything around us… it even gave us the wonder to the unknown and expanded our positions. even when it seemed unlikely. In our modern positions. we have used rational thought and theoretical thoughts to light empiricist methods to direct us to solutions. like in the telecasting show Star Trek.
Scientists and discoverers watched this popular telecasting shows and after seeing assorted engineerings they went and attempted and succeeded in making engineerings which we take for advantage today. Works Cited Lawhead. William F. The Philosophical Journey: an Synergistic Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2009. Print. Aune. Bruce. Rationalism. Empiricism. and Pragmatism: an Introduction. Random House. 1970. Print. Markie. Peter. “Rationalism vs. Empiricism” . The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ( Fall 2008 Edition ) . Edward N. Zalta ( ed. ) . URL = .
