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Empiricism
The philosophy of Empiricism refers to the 18th century movement centered in Great Britain and taught that all knowledge comes from experience. Empiricism is a unique philosophy that commands the dependence of a person on his own experiences, observations, and morals to make appropriate choices. Most of these choices are made in disregard of theory or deductive reasoning, thus allowing the individual to make a unique decision.
In order to study Empiricism, one must first look at its background. Many philosophers believe that Empiricism originated from a battle between Platonism and Aristotelianism. Platonism settled on the theory that there is a �real� reality and our culture is simply an �imperfect shadow� of this paradise. However, Aristotelianism emphasized that knowledge of our world (and possibly others) must come through pure logic and observation. Many Platonist philosophers such as Plato and Immanuel Kant shared the same idea that one cannot be judge in this world for what he does. In Kant�s book The Science of Right, he wrote, �it is quite easy to state what may be right in particular cases (quid sit juris), as being what the laws of a certain play and of a certain time say or may have said; but it is much more difficult to determine whether what they have enacted is right in itself and to lay down a universal criterion by which right and wrong in general and what is just and unjust may be recognized.� While this makes a strong statement for the Platonism argument, Aristotle�s insistence on observation is apparent in his statement, �having now definitely considered the soul, by itself, and its several faculties, we must next make a survey of animals and all living things, in common to them�We must endeavor to arrive at a scientific conception of these, determining their respective natures and the causes of their occurrence.� Although the Platonists did not believe in innate ideas, it is important to note that they did not reject the notion of inborn characteristics that regulate bodily functions or produce emotions. However, what Platonists denied were the theories that humans were born with intellect or that human beings were born in the image of God.
The battle between Platonism and Aristotelianism eventually resulted in the creation of two new philosophies, Empiricism and Rationalism. In reaction to this split, philosophers were forced to pick sides, thus creating some of the most infamous philosophical battles and enemies. Directly after this split, John Locke (1632-1704) led the Empiricists, but the Rationalists followed the judgement set forth by Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274).
There is only one central tenet in Empiricism: one must experience to understand. Empiricists believe that once someone experiences something such as an emotion, a sensory tangibility, or an intellectual revelation, that experience translates into knowledge. This knowledge is then utilized for the rest of one�s natural life.
Until the 20th century, Empiricism was defined by the definitions set forth by the philosophers of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, most notably Locke, Francis Bacon, George Berkely, and David Hume. Until the appearance of idealism in the 1850�s all British philosophy bears the thumbprint of Locke�s empiricism. More than any other philosopher, short of Plato and Aristotle, Locke is considered a pioneer in the philosophical theology and politics.
In recent times the term empiricism has taken on a more flexible definition and is now used to explain any philosophical idea that depends on experience. In 20th century, important Empiricist philosophers were Williams James, founder of Radical Empiricism, and John Dewey, founder of Immediate Empiricism. Whatever the title, the theory behind Empiricism has stayed the same for hundreds of years, a feat that few other philosophies have conquered
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