What is empiricism in philosophy?

Empiricism is an epistemological view stating that true knowledge and justification come primarily or entirely from sensory experience and empirical evidence. It stands in contrast to rationalism and skepticism, emphasizing that ideas are formed through observations of the natural world rather than through innate concepts or pure logic alone. Historically linked to the blank slate concept, empiricism also forms a foundational pillar of the scientific method.

What we know

• Empiricism holds that true knowledge or justification comes either only or primarily from sensory experience and empirical evidence. [1, 2]
• Empiricists argue that empiricism is more reliable than pure logical reasoning because human cognitive biases and limitations lead to judgmental errors. [2]
• Historically, empiricism has been associated with the blank slate or tabula rasa concept, where the human mind starts blank at birth. [2]
• In the philosophy of science, empiricism requires that all hypotheses and theories are tested against observations of the natural world. [2]

Where to go next

• compared withWhat is rationalism in philosophy?
• how it workedHow does the scientific method use empiricism?
• a case in pointWhat was logical positivism?
• how we knowWhat is constructive empiricism in science?
• the bigger pictureWhat is epistemology?
• an unexpected connectionHow did logical positivism collapse by the 1960s?Logical positivism was a strict movement deeply rooted in the empiricist tradition, yet internal flaws and severe criticisms caused its ultimate collapse.

Sources

• [1]empiricism (Wikidata Q83368) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Empiricism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Logical positivism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Constructive empiricism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Gilles Deleuze · CC BY-SA 4.0