Empiricism and Experience - 1575 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†¦show more content†¦The second epistemological question is; does reason provide us with knowledge of the world independently of experience? John Locke says the answer to this question is no. He uses arguments discussed in the third anchor point of empiricism to support this idea. Locke does not believe that reason alone can provide knowledge because we do not possess innate knowledge that we are not aware of. To best describe this Locke proposes this model: Suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; how comes it to be furnished? When man has painte d on it with endless variety, how does it have all the materials of reason and knowledge to this question I answer, in one word, from experience. In that all our knowledge is founded, and from that, it ultimately drives itself (p94). Therefore, without these experiences Locke believes that we would not possess the concept of reason and because of that reason alone cannot provide us knowledge of the world. Berkeleys answer to the second question is no as well. He believed that it was only through experience and not reason that we have any knowledge of reality. Since our experiences differ from each individual, reality too will differ for each individual. These ideas as he calls them are the concrete contents of our minds. These ideas are provided through experience and not reason. Therefore, we can not posses knowledge through our reasoning because that reasoning would be basedShow MoreRelatedEmpiricism Is The Theory That Experience1202 Words   |  5 PagesEmpiricism is the theory that experience, rather than reason, is the source of knowledge, and in this sense it is opposed to rationalism. This general thesis can receive different emphases and refinements; therefore, philosophers who have been labeled empiricists are united generally and may differ in various ways. The Empiricist Revolution helped facilitate discussion on real world, political problems. Since this revolution, p hilosophers and political theorists have developed two different ideasRead MoreThe Phenomenology Of Perception By Maurice Merleau Ponty Essay1325 Words   |  6 Pagesissues of both empiricism and intellectualism to explain his existential analysis of Being. Merleau-Ponty establishes against empiricism and intellectualism, the primary and complex ambiguity of our lived and embodied experience, and our inexhaustibility of being-in-the-world. In his critiques of these classical forms of intellectualism and empiricism, he identifies both what works for his phenomenological account and what doesn’t work. This essay will explain these critiques of empiricism and intellectualismRead MoreEmpiricism Vs. Positivist Theory Of Knowledge1053 Words   |  5 Pagesfound in epistemology is the theory of empiricism. Empiricism is the belief that knowledge is gained through experience, that there is no such thing as â€Å"innate knowledge,† or knowledge that one is born with. 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