This document discusses the philosophy of empiricism. It defines empiricism as the theory that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience. It traces the origins of empiricism from ancient Greek physicians to modern philosophers like John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume. The document also examines key aspects of empiricism like tabula rasa, the role of reason and innate ideas, and how empiricists view the acquisition of knowledge and the roles of teachers and students in education.

1. EMPIRICIS
M
EVANGELINE L. DULCE
TEACHER I
BUBUKAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ADVANCE PHILOSOPHY

2. What is
Empiricism?

3. Etymology
The English term "empirical" derives
from the Greek word which is
cognate with and translates to the
Latin experientia, from which we
derive the word "experience" and the
related "experiment". The term was
used by the Empiric school of ancient
Greek medical practitioners, who
rejected the three doctrines of the
Dogmatic school, preferring to rely
on the observation of "phenomena“

4. Etymology
The term "empiricism" has a dual
etymology, stemming both from the
Greek word for "experience" and
from the more specific classical
Greek and Roman usage of
"empiric", referring to a physician
whose skill derives from practical
experience as opposed to
instruction in theory (this was it's
first usage).

5. Empiricism is a theory
which states that
knowledge comes only
or primarily from
sensory experience.

6. It is a view that
all knowledge of
reality is derived
from sensory
experience.

7. Hence, for
empiricists, all
knowledge begins
with experience and
that the mind is like
a “blank sheet” or

8. History of
Empiricism

9. The concept of a "tabula rasa" (or
"clean slate") had been developed
as early as the 11th Century by
the Persian philosopher Avicenna,
who further argued that knowledge
is attained through empirical
familiarity with objects in this
world, from which one abstracts
universal concepts, which can then
be further developed through a
syllogistic method of reasoning.

10. SYLLOGISM
It is a kind of logical argument
that applies deductive reasoning
to arrive at a conclusion based
on two or more propositions
that are asserted or assumed
to be true. In a form, defined
by Aristotle, from the
combination of a general
statement and a specific
statement, a conclusion is

11. For example:
General statement: A dog is an
animal.
Specific statement: But a puppy is a
dog.
Therefore: A puppy is an
animal.

12. The 12th Century Arabic
philosopher Abu acer (or Ibn Tu
fail: 1105 - 1185) demonstrated
the theory of tabula rasa as a
thought experiment in which the
mind of a feral child develops
from a clean slate to that of an
adult, in complete isolation from
society on a desert island,

13. Empiricists deny that
any ideas or even
intellectual structure is
inscribed on the mind
from birth- the mind at
birth is a blank tablet,
devoid even of
watermarks. The
implication is that
anything “written” on the

15. Dreaming
Imagining
Fantasizing
INNER EXPERIENCES

16. There are so many
sorts of experience, but
here experience means
“sense experience” that
is perceptions derived
from five senses: sight,
sound, touch, taste and
smell.

17. Empiricist
Philosopher
s

18. Aristotle can be classed as a
tabula rasa empiricist, for he
rejects the claim that we have
innate ideas or principles of
reasoning. With regard to tabula
rasa empiricism, Aristotle rejects
the doctrine of innate ideas found
in the work of Plato (427–347
BCE).

19. Berkeley is classified as an
“empiricist” philosopher along
with Locke. He believed that
the central point of empiricism
involves gaining knowledge
through the senses, rather
than through innate ideas. And
Berkeley wholeheartedly
believes that we do acquire all
of our knowledge through
sense perception.

20. David Hume was a Scottish
Enlightenment philosopher,
historian, economist, librarian
and essayist, who is best
known today for his highly
influential system of
philosophical empiricism,
skepticism, and naturalism.

21. Francis Bacon has been called
the father of empiricism. He
argued for the possibility of
scientific knowledge based only
upon inductive reasoning and
careful observation of events in
nature.

22. John Locke was an English
philosopher, often classified as
an 'empiricist', because he
believed that knowledge was
founded in empirical observation
and experience. In that all our
knowledge is founded; and from
that it ultimately derives itself.

23. How do we get ideas?
• We get simple ideas through the senses. Each
perception give us the raw material of experience.
We do not choose these ideas. We simply receive
them passively as we experience the world.
• Complex ideas are formed by taking the raw
material or simple ideas and then actively using our
minds to form new ideas.
• All of our ideas must come from these processes.
Thus, if we have an idea of God or the external
world we will have to be able to describe it by
these processes.

24. Educational Aims of Empiricism
• The only source of genuine knowledge is
sense experience.
• Reason is an unreliable and inadequate
route to knowledge unless it is grounded
in the solid bedrock of sense
experience.
• There is no evidence of innate ideas
within the mind that are known apart
from experience.

25. Empiricism – Teacher Role (in a
Math Class)
• Teacher transmits knowledge to student
• Learning is a one-way experience from
teacher to student
• Teacher holds authoritarian role
• Teacher does the majority of the
talking
• Lecture format
• Textbook based

26. Empiricism – Student Role (in a
Math Class)
• Child born as blank slate
• Learning happens to the student – mind
is imprinted with new knowledge
• Learning is based on correct answers
• Students take notes
• Don’t ask questions
• Information is memorized

27. Empiricists use 3 anchor points
in which they derive their
opinions from.
• The only source of genuine knowledge is
sense experience.
• Reason is an unreliable and inadequate
route to knowledge unless it is grounded
in the solid bedrock of sense
experience.
• There is no evidence of innate ideas
within the mind that are known apart
from experience.

30. 1.John Locke is the Father of
Empiricism.
2.In Philosophy, Empiricism is a
theory that states that knowledge
comes only or primarily from
sensory experience.
3.Empirical research, including
experiments and validated
measurement tools, guides the

31. 1.Empiricists emphasize mechanical
causes of behavior, which
emphasizes the .power of
environmental factors.
2.Empiricists stress induction which
involves generalizing from
observables.
3.Empiricists think that they can
know about the reality by

32. 1.Empiricism uses experiments
and tests to see if hypotheses
are false.
2.Empiricism is a notion that
objective knowledge is really
subjective.
3.In Empiricism, learning is a
one-way experience from
teacher to students.

33. “New opinions are always
suspected, and usually
opposed, without any other
reason but because they
are not common.”
― John Locke