Empiricism

July 4, 2009

[em-peer’-uh-sihz’-um]

(Greek emperirismos, “experience”)

The theory of epistemology (the study of knowledge) that limits the bounds of knowledge to that which can can be demonstrated through experience. Being practical rather than abstract, the empiricist gives little weight to pure reason or abstract thinking. If it can be tested by the five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing) it qualifies for empirical knowledge. For the hard empiricist, all other theories of “knowledge” are not worthy of the designation.

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