Empiricism stressed the importance of sensory experience in knowledge from "summary" of The Dream of Reason by Anthony Gottlieb
Empiricism, a philosophical movement that emerged in the 17th century, emphasized the vital role of sensory experience in acquiring knowledge. Proponents of empiricism argued that the foundation of knowledge was derived from our interactions with the world through our senses. This perspective challenged prevailing beliefs that knowledge could be attained through innate ideas or rational deductions alone. The empiricists contended that human beings are born as blank slates, devoid of any innate knowledge. Instead, they maintained that knowledge is acquired through the accumulation of sensory experiences. John Locke, one of the leading figures of empiricism, asserted that the mind at birth is like a blank sheet of paper, or tabula rasa, upon which experiences are imprinted. According to Locke, all our ideas and beliefs are ultimately derived from our observations and interactions with the external world. Empiricists rejected the notion of innate ideas, positing that all knowledge originates from sensory perception. Francis Bacon, another influential empiricist, championed the idea that knowledge should be based on empirical evidence gathered through observation and experimentation. Bacon believed that the human mind is prone to errors and biases, and that reliance on sensory experience was the most reliable method to acquire knowledge. The empiricist perspective emphasized the importance of experimentation and observation as the primary means of understanding the natural world. This approach stood in contrast to rationalism, which prioritized deductive reasoning and innate ideas as the sources of knowledge. Empiricists believed that sensory experiences provided the most accurate and reliable basis for acquiring knowledge, as they were rooted in the concrete realities of the physical world.- Empiricism underscored the significance of sensory experience in shaping our understanding of the world. It emphasized the value of observation, experimentation, and empirical evidence in the pursuit of knowledge. By privileging the role of sensory perception, empiricism offered a radical departure from traditional philosophical frameworks and laid the groundwork for a new way of thinking about the nature of knowledge.
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