Questions tagged [empiricism]
Empiricism is the view that knowledge comes from sense experience.
132
questions
2
votes
1
answer
131
views
Do contradictions rule out holism and vice versa, and pluralism?
Quine has a holism (based in radical empiricism) that is very appealing. It's a significant part of his Two Dogmas of Empiricism, which many say is the most significant philosophical work in the 20th ...
- 2,302
0
votes
0
answers
36
views
What differences and relationships are between "innate ideas" and "presuppositions of knowledge"?
p149 of Section "Rationalism and Empiricism" in Big Questions by Solomon talkss about "innate ideas":
One of the main points of debate between the rationalists and the empiricists�...
- 445
0
votes
0
answers
35
views
Is John Locke's Empiricism Unempirical?
The esteemed seventeenth-century English philosopher John Locke famously declares that we are tabula rasa (blank slates). When it comes to human understanding we rely upon the force of experience (...
- 1,855
0
votes
3
answers
151
views
Do individuals over the world expect a social system to provide "peace and abundance"?
Ludwig von Mises believes that "in general, men the world over expect a social system to provide "peace and abundance."[sic] (from "Ludwig von Mises and the Justification of the ...
- 1,338
1
vote
0
answers
38
views
Hume’s Empiricism and the Possibility of an Epistemology Grounded in Metaphysics
Was epistemology continued in metaphysics? Was the impossibility of an epistemology grounded in metaphysics made impossible by Humean empiricism in the sense that a posteriori questions of fact are ...
3
votes
1
answer
66
views
Does Plato think we can have synthetic a posteriori knowledge?
I understand that Plato thinks our knowledge of universals is innate, and therefore synthetic a priori knowledge. However, does he think we can have any knowledge that is synthetic and a posteriori? ...
- 31
1
vote
2
answers
68
views
Why can't we have a tighter definition of what makes something necessary?
Why can’t we define 'necessary' tighter, by making it include empirical evidence of such a statement?
Everything that is agreed to be necessarily can be empirically verified. For example, if we put ...
- 115
2
votes
0
answers
64
views
Is Deleuze an Intuitionist?
I am reading Difference and Repitition currently by Deleuze. In it he describes his metaphysics as subverting identity, and instead replacing how people could process the world as an endless series of ...
- 375
2
votes
0
answers
77
views
Can moral truths be known a priori or are they based on experience?
I am currently working on an essay that explores the concept of a priori knowledge and whether or not it can exist. I would love to hear any thoughts or opinions on this topic that anyone may have.
...
- 195
0
votes
2
answers
99
views
Testing of complex systems
I wasn't sure were to post this question, seems ill fitted for most content I see.
In software development there is a procedure for testing software that includes unit testing, integration testing, ...
- 9
1
vote
2
answers
163
views
Does empiricism already possess the seeds of idealism?
Outside Berkeley's philosophy, does empiricism (not radical empiricism or Berkeley's idealist/radical? empiricism) possess the seeds of idealism?
If yes, and if it is considered a problem:
(1) What ...
- 1,338
6
votes
2
answers
445
views
What is the relationship between the scientific experimental method and the two espistemologies of empiricism and rationalism
What is the (historical and theoretical) relationship between the scientific experimental method and the two espistemologies of empiricism and rationalism?
I can read here and there that the ...
- 1,338
2
votes
3
answers
109
views
Could I (or something like my mind) exist because more complicated (mental) products than me exist?
Starting with a Cartesian-type 'cogito' argument, we might be sceptical that an 'I' exists, but rather suppose that we're embedded in a kind of perceptive process allowing us to experience thoughts, ...
- 31
3
votes
4
answers
617
views
What is the name of this view, that consciousness builds reality?
The following is really my own conception, but I have no credentials in philosophy. Nevertheless, I find it quite compelling.
It is said (Hegel?) that mind has the property that (a) it is inside ...
- 69
5
votes
5
answers
346
views
Can empiricists and materialists accept metaphysical modality?
There are some propositions such as 1+1=2 that seem to be true in all possible worlds. That is, there is no possible world in which 1+1=2 is not true. Propositions like this that seem to be true in ...
- 6,931
2
votes
4
answers
220
views
If we simulate a universe just like ours, is there any experiment simulated life could do to verify it is being simulated?
Akin to Einstein's principle of equivalence where the observer cannot tell if he or she is either in free fall or being accelerated (in a small enough region of spacetime); I'm wondering the same ...
- 137
1
vote
2
answers
57
views
What does Hume mean when he relates association of ideas to languages?
In the Enquiry, section 3 Hume says:
Among different languages, even where we cannot suspect the least
connexion or communication, it is found, that the words, expressive of
ideas, the most ...
- 41
2
votes
1
answer
128
views
What does Hume mean by metaphysics that fall under superstition?
Hey guys I'm reading Hume's 'An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding' and there's something I can't quite understand. Through sections I and II Hume talks about how he is trying to come up with the ...
- 41
8
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is there "empirical" distance without "mathematical" distance?
Mathematicians since antiquity have been thinking about length and angle, including doing things with straight-edges, rulers, compasses, and protractors. Fast-forward to modern physics, and you'll see ...
- 267
0
votes
2
answers
129
views
Is Constructivism a solid middle-ground between Empiricism and Rationalism?
Is Constructivism a good compromise between the radicalist views of Empiricism and Rationalism?
I'm not sure I understand the tenets of Constructivism to its fullest extent, but it seems like a ...
- 23
1
vote
1
answer
100
views
As humans, do we require a total understanding of information to fully embody it as knowledge?
As humans, do we require a total understanding of information to fully embody it as knowledge?
Is the underlying mechanism of the act of knowledge dependent on a complete understanding of theories, ...
- 11
-2
votes
1
answer
131
views
How can circles be a subclass of ellipses? Popper [closed]
My question comes from: 36 Levels of Universality and Degrees of Precision from The Logic of Scientific Discovery
Excerpt from the chapter 36:
We have the following natural laws:
p: All heavenly ...
1
vote
0
answers
50
views
Does Locke's saying "the mind has no other immediate object but its own ideas …." deconstruct his own general theory and agree with Berkeley’s?
Locke says: "Since the mind ... hath no other immediate object but its own ideas, which it alone can contemplate, it is evident that our knowledge is only conversant about them."
If we take ...
- 11
2
votes
3
answers
464
views
Is it possible to refute any form of innate knowledge?
The standard definition of rationalism is that a rationalist believes that humans have innate knowledge(concept) or ability to intuit/deduct.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think according to the ...
- 373
2
votes
3
answers
467
views
Empiricism and Morality
How would an empiricist develop a moral philosophy without running into the is-ought problem? The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris tries to formulate one but does not effectively resolve the is-ought ...
- 171
1
vote
1
answer
27
views
References on philosophical aspects of experimental design
I am an engineer working in molecular neuroscience field, hence getting exposure in both solving practical problems (how to image fish brain) and molecular bio questions (do neurons X connect to ...
1
vote
2
answers
134
views
What is the difference between 'sense-data' and 'facts'?
There appear to be times when philosophers use these terms 'sense-data' and 'facts' synonymously, and at other times as distinct entities. Is there philosophy that speaks to characterize the ...
user37981
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
How does Kant substantiate the noumenal world? [duplicate]
This is a new idea for me and I have struggled understanding Kant. How does Kant substantiate the noumenal world?
..Also, is their an online text or online video someone can reference me to that ...
- 572
0
votes
1
answer
55
views
Truth-value injection in quasi-empirical theoriess
While reading about quasi-empiricism I have encountered the following statement: "Thus the logical channels of theories are not downward transmission of truth but for upward re-transmission of ...
- 103
5
votes
1
answer
171
views
Why is science treated as if it is entirely separate from philosophy? [duplicate]
A lot of people who I have spoken with in philosophy courses treat science as if it is completely separate from philosophy. Some scientists, like Stephen Hawking when he was still alive, seem to agree ...
- 305
2
votes
3
answers
532
views
Stupidity and morality, how do they relate? [closed]
I think most people concerned with philosophy would think that morality is at least a type of intelligence, one way of being intelligent. Some forms of "ethical realism" must surely rely on ethical ...
user46524
7
votes
7
answers
421
views
Explaining to my 11 year old why the question "Will robots ever have feelings" is part of philosophy, not science?
My 11 year old is tasked with interpreting a Seneca quote. I started out by trying to explain to him what ethics is by contrasting 'Will robots ever have feelings?' as a question in Philosophy of Mind,...
- 27k
0
votes
1
answer
67
views
Was Hans Reichenbach really a logical empiricist? Did he really think that logic was empirical?
I was reading an article in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy about Hans Reichenbach 1, and I have a specific question about it that I would like to ask. There, it is said that:
Reichenbach ...
- 71
2
votes
3
answers
385
views
Is there any inconsistency in Berkeley's philosophy?
Does Berkeley's empiricist philosophy contain any inconsistencies? What are the inconsistent sides of Locke's or Hume's philosophies? How is Berkeley's world different from a Matrix-like world?
The ...
- 51
3
votes
1
answer
292
views
Did Quine ever respond to the major criticisms of Two Dogmas?
I'm specifically thinking about Grice and Strawson's paper "In Defense of a Dogma" and Putnam's paper "Two Dogmas Revisited". Both raise major issues with the content of Quine's "Two Dogmas of ...
4
votes
1
answer
638
views
What does rationalism prove that empiricism can not?
I have always had trouble understanding rationalism. I am very unclear as to what a rationalist can prove that an empiricist cannot. Are their any examples of something or a situation being ...
- 572
5
votes
2
answers
350
views
Empiricism vs Irrationalism
Empiricists think that we should rely on our senses as a source of information but they also agree that using induction, and therefore reason as well, to make conclusions are reliable, whereas ...
7
votes
1
answer
494
views
Hume on infinity
I know Hume argued against dividing finite space into infinitely many regions, but I can't seem to find anything regarding his thoughts on infinity itself. From his Enquiry you sort of get that he ...
1
vote
1
answer
224
views
Evidence for Aristotle being an empiricist?
Most secondary sources tell me yes, but can anyone provide me with primary evidence of this. A short quote would be sufficient, this is time sensitive (got an essay due tomorrow) so thank you in ...
- 11
3
votes
3
answers
278
views
How "repeatable" does empirical evidence need to be?
To start, I am a proponent of empiricism but feel like I stumbled into a flaw.
How come we only accept what we can repeat? ..and how often do I need to be able to repeat to the same conclusion for me ...
- 572
2
votes
2
answers
852
views
How is rationalism still used today?
This was a test question in my class I thought I had the right answer to, but apparently got wrong. How would you answer this?
If experimental sciences demonstrate that empiricism has "won the day", ...
- 572
1
vote
0
answers
136
views
How would Hume reply to Kant saying there are synthetic a priori propositions?
In my intro to philosophy class, our teacher presented us with "Kant's revolutionary thesis":
There are synthetic a priori propositions. They must be [necessarily are] true without appealing to ...
- 572
2
votes
2
answers
163
views
Is it a logical fallacy? A question about majority opinion and samples
Say a community of X number of people is notified of a sudden policy change by higher authorities, and Y number of people from the community express their opinions for or against the policy change. ...
user38116
0
votes
2
answers
129
views
Is there truly an objective difference between what is and what could be?
"What is" versus "What could be".
What role does language as a way of knowing play in determining “what” something is? Is the desire to change the way we view the world in Art connected to or ...
- 13
2
votes
3
answers
754
views
Are formal sciences rationalistic and natural sciences empiricist?
As the title say, are the formal sciences (mathematics, logic, etc) fundamentally rationalistic while the natural ones (chemistry and physics) fundamentally empiricist?
Physics, Chemistry, and ...
user31740
1
vote
1
answer
94
views
Should we accept non-predictive inductive arguments based on cultural judgments?
Some inductive arguments that are taken seriously are based on observations about society/culture that cannot be objectively confirmed and do not produce any predictions. Does that make them less ...
user38026
3
votes
0
answers
559
views
Explanation vs. prediction in statistics and in the philosophy of science?
In the realm of statistics and machine learning, a lot of discussion has arisen recently around the difference between explaining and predicting: That the two are not the same, and that the difference ...
- 27k
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
Pragmatic encroachment: how is the basis for X being accurate different from the basis of when it is accurate to say someone knows that X is accurate?
When is it accurate to say that a person (P) knows that X is true/accurate?
This question seems to be answered by the idea/concept of 'Pragmatic Encroachment';
The basic idea/concept of 'Pragmatic ...
1
vote
0
answers
390
views
Are the Argument From Perspectival Variation and the Argument From Perceptual Relativity one and the same?
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains Perspectival Variation as follows:
Perspectival variation is the kind of variation in one's sensory
experiences that normally attends changes in ...
- 408
-2
votes
4
answers
590
views
Have I contradicted the "law" non-contradiction?
In the 2nd half of the 20th century the American mathematician Haskell Curry and logician William Alvin Howard discovered an analogy between logical proofs and working computer programs. This is known ...
