1. Empiricism
In empiricismwe cansaythat experience issource of knowledge. EmpiricismoccursfromLatinword
empeiríawhichmeansexperience.General definitioncanbe interpretedlikethis„Empiricismisthe
viewthatall knowledge of realityisderivedfromsense experience.“ Meaningof sense experienceis
perceptionderivedfromthe five senses:eyesight,sound,taste,smell,touch.Empiricismbelieves
that all knowledgecame fromthese five senseswhichare foundationof all ourknowledge. Empiricist
believes thatbefore birthwe don’thave anyknowledgeonLatin„Tabularasa“whichmeans„blank
table“.Knowledge canbe learnedonlyafterbirthwiththe helpof senses.Anyideaaboutsomething
that cannot be experiencedthrough sensesEmpricstconsiderasfake or„the fruitof the
imagination“. Empiricismisagainstideaslike God, eternity etc.The empiricistwasAristotle andSt.
Thomas,withmodernage philosopherslikeJohnLocke,Berkeley, andDavidHume.
Classicempiricismisone from Aristotle andSt. Thomastheythoughtthatepistemologyisbasedon
universal ideas.Anyknowledgewithoutthese universal ideasis impossible becausewe cannotknow,
say or thinkaboutsomethingwithoutuniversal ideaslikedog,chair,table,man.Universal ideascan
onlybe learnedwiththe helpof our senses andthere isnootherway. We gain knowledge about
universal ideasonlywithinduction,whichmeansthatwe generalize andrepeatthingsuntilthey
become universal.Fromthe generalizationof manTom, man Ford,man Thomaswe gain general or
universal ideaaboutman.This generalisation throughlogical inductionmade auniversal ideaabout
thingswhichare the main pointforall reasoning. There isfamousLatindictumfromSt. Thomas
whichon verygoodwayexplainsthe empiricistwayof thinking"Nihil estinintellectuquodnonprius
inwhich means"Nothingisinthe intellectthat wasnot firstinthe senses". Workof St.Thomas is
seenthrough„abstraction „whichis„intellectual facultybywhichthe essential elementof particular
thingisunlockedorseenbythe mind“. Formodern empiricismIwill firstly writeaboutJohnLocke
he laidthe foundationsof modern empiricisminhis monumentalEssayConcerningHuman
Understanding.He isa philosopherwhorejectedthe ideaof innatenessof both„speculative„and
„practical„ principles because he believes thatargumentsare notsupportingideas.
By rejectingideasof innate orinborntruthsLocke givesone example inwhichhe says„thatthere
were certain truthswhereinall mankind agreed,itwouldnotprove theminnate,if itwouldnot
prove theminnate, if there canbe any otherwayshown,how man may can to that universal
agreementinthe thingstheydoconsentin;whichIpresume maybe done“.Locke was workingin
orderto findmanyremarkson innate ideas,andtoclearlyexpresshisopinionaboutsource of
knowledge inwhichhe says„ inexperienceall ourknowledge isfounded,andfromthatitultimately
derivesitself.Ourobservation,employedeitheraboutexternal sensible objects,oraboutthe
internal operationsof ourminds,perceived orreflectedbyourselves,isthatwhichsuppliesour
understandingwithall the materialsof thinking.Thesetwoare the fountainsof knowledge,from
whence all the ideaswe have,orcan naturallyhave,dospring“.Inthe Englandthere wasalso a
radical empiricistnamedDavidHume. DavidHume empiricismissimilartoLocke buthe uses
differentterminology.Hume believes thatall we have are perceptions;theyare dividedto
impressionsandideas. Throughperceptionwe gainimpressionsandfurtherthinkingabout
impressions isideas.The crucial pointin Hume’s workisthatwe have no ideasunlesstheyderived
fromimpressions.ForthisreasonHume waslittle more radical thanJohnLockand Berkeley.In the
modernage philosophyitisimportanttofollow the orderfromLocke to BerkeleytoHume to
understand modernage philosophy better.Empiricismwhichstartedwith Aristotle andSt.Thomas is
