Definition:
Empiricism is a philosophical viewpoint asserting that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience. It argues that human understanding and ideas are grounded in what we can perceive through our senses, rather than innate ideas or purely rational deductions. Empiricism stresses the role of empirical evidence in the formation of ideas, hence the importance of observation, experimentation, and the scientific method in acquiring knowledge.
Etymology & Origin:
The term “empiricism” derives from the Greek word “empeiria,” meaning “experience.” Empiricism as a philosophical concept became prominent during the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly with the works of John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume in Britain. These philosophers contended that all human knowledge arises from experience, marking a departure from the idea of innate knowledge proposed by rationalist thinkers.
Examples:
- John Locke argued that the mind at birth is a “tabula rasa” (blank slate), and that all knowledge is written upon it through experiences.
- David Hume emphasized that our beliefs about cause and effect are derived from experiences of seeing how events are connected, rather than from any logical deduction.
- In science, empiricism underpins the experimental method, where hypotheses are tested against observations in the natural world, leading to theories that are grounded in empirical data.
Empiricism has significantly influenced the development of the scientific method and modern scientific inquiry, promoting the idea that empirical evidence and observation should be the foundation of all factual assertions and knowledge claims.
