EMPIRICISM

the theory that all knowledge is based on experience

derived from the senses.

emphasizes the role of experience and evidence, especially

sensory experience, in the formation of ideas, over the
notion of innate ideas or traditions;

Empiricists claim that all ideas that a mind can entertain

have been formed through some experiences or through
some impressions;

DEGREES OF EMPIRICISM:

Empiricism, whether concerned with concepts or

knowledge, can be held with varying degrees of strength.
On this basis , these three forms can be distinguished:
absolute empiricisms
substantive empiricisms
partial empiricisms
John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume were the
primary exponents of Empiricism.

ABSOLUTE EMPIRICISM:

Absolute empiricists hold that there are no a priori

concepts, either formal or categorical, and no a priori
beliefs or propositions.

Absolute empiricism about the former is more common

than that about the latter, however.

SUBSTANTIVE EMPIRICISM:

A more moderate form of empiricism is that of the

substantive empiricists, who are unconvinced by attempts
that have been made to interpret formal concepts
empirically and who therefore concede that formal concepts
are a priori, though they deny that status to categorical
concepts and to the theoretical concepts of physics, which
they hold are a posteriori.

PARTIAL EMPIRICISM:

According to this view, the realm of the a priori includes

some concepts that are not formal and some propositions
that are substantially informative about the world.

John Locke

His "new way of

ideas," as it was
called, had as its
purpose "to
inquire into the
original, certainty,
and extent of
human
knowledge,
together with the
grounds and
degrees of belief,
opinion, and
assent.

Berkeley

main aim was to

produce a
metaphysical view
which would show
the glory of God.

Hume

distinguished first
between
impressions and
ideas. He further
subdivided ideas
into those of
sense and those
of reflection, and
again, into those
which are simple
and those which
are complex. .

Rationalism and Empiricism:

The dispute between rationalism and empiricism concerns

the extent to which we are dependent upon sense
experience in our effort to gain knowledge.

Rationalists claim that there are significant ways in which

our concepts and knowledge are gained independently of
sense experience.

Empiricists claim that sense experience is the ultimate

source of all our concepts and knowledge.

Rationalists generally develop their view in two ways.

First, they argue that there are cases where the content of
our concepts or knowledge outstrips the information that
sense experience can provide.

Second, they construct accounts of how reason in some

form or other provides that additional information about the
world.

Empiricists present complementary lines of thought.

First, they develop accounts of how experience provides the

information that rationalists cite, insofar as we have it in
the first place.

Second, empiricists attack the rationalists' accounts of how

reason is a source of concepts or knowledge.