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Empiricism vs rationalism
Empiricism vs rationalism
Compare empiricism and rationalism ideas
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Here we will look at the surety of God and to better understand where we get our knowledge that we have received. The knowledge can be express through our senses or through the logical knowledge that is in us automatically, according to rationalism. Whether through the Word of God, proven solutions or through our senses like personal experience that had been given unto us about whom God is and the purpose He has for us. What does Rationalism and Empiricism express about the knowledge we get and where does it come from? To me I have come to understand that the knowledge that we receive comes from both empiricism and rationalism. We learn from our senses and rational equations that give us some understanding of the product and lesson being taught.
Let me start by stating that God is real to me and I know it without a shadow of doubt. I have learned through the Holy Bible who is my Father in Heaven and who He is to me. He is a God that cares and wants the best for me. He is a God that loves me, shelters me, provides for me and wants nothing more but to give us an abundant life. God is the Creator of heaven and earth and without Him nothing will exist, that’s including you and me. He had spoken the word and we came to be. It seems to me that people take the word of God lightly and doesn’t realize how powerful God’s word can be. It can transform and change lives, if we just believe. The knowledge we get are sent from above and my Father knows what we need to survive he on earth for His Glory. In Proverbs 2:2-7 (New King James Version) states that “So that you incline your ear to wisdom, .and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and...
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...ody and filling me with joy, a bubbling feeling of comfort and pleasure at the same time and it also felt like I wasn’t even there experiencing those blessing in my life.
In conclusion, My knowledge and assurance in God Almighty, through His word, His Spirit and relying on the knowledge I received from Him in a matter of senses and logical explanations has given me the strength, blessing and the understanding to just trust Him in all that I do for His Glory and Honor. We have learned that our senses and rational equations can help us in our decision-making, to help us grow in knowledge and to seek Him first in all that we do.
In Christ!
References
Nash, R. H. (1999). Life's ultimate questions: An introduction to philosophy.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. pg.93
The Holy Bible, New King James Version (1984). New York, NY: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Rationalists would claim that knowledge comes from reason or ideas, while empiricists would answer that knowledge is derived from the senses or impressions. The difference between these two philosophical schools of thought, with respect to the distinction between ideas and impressions, can be examined in order to determine how these schools determine the source of knowledge. The distinguishing factor that determines the perspective on the foundation of knowledge is the concept of the divine.
that you should believe in God as you will gain more from it when you
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge. It is mainly concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. It attempts to answer the basic question of what distinguishes true or adequate knowledge from otherwise false or inadequate knowledge (Heylighen). The major branches of epistemological theory are rationalism, empiricism and mysticism. Rationalism implies that knowledge is obtained through reason and introspection. Ones ideas are justified by sense experience, but if the senses and intuition are in conflict, the sensory evidence must be discarded. In empiricism, knowledge is obtained through observation and experiment. Models and theories may be used to organize this sensory experience, but if theories contradict experience they are wrong. In mysticism, knowledge is obtained through faith, emotions or revelation but if observation or intuition contradict, the knowledge is thus deemed wrong (“Rationalism”). Doubt, as a Persian Proverb once said, is the key to knowledge. It is one of the influencing factors in the expansion of knowledge. A fact that is conside...
The rational or a priori of knowledge- the base of this knowledge is provided by “natural light.” The empirical basis of knowledge is the content of a person conscious state of mind, beliefs, desires, and sensory states. “Thus the perception of the infinite is somehow prior in me to the perception of the finite, that is, my perception of God is before my perception of myself. For how would I understand that I doubt and that I desire, that is, that I lack something and that I am not wholly perfect, unless there was some idea in me of a perfect being, by comparison with which I might recognize my defects” (Descartes, 1641)? “I recognize that it would be impossible for me to exist with the kind of nature I have — that is, having within me the idea of God — was it not the case that God existed. By ‘God’ I mean the very being the idea of whom is within me, that is, the possessor of all the perfections which I cannot grasp, but can somehow reach in my thought, which is subject to no defects whatsoever. It is clear enough from this that he cannot be a deceiver since it is manifest by the natural light that all fraud and deception depend on some defect” (Med. 3, AT
Empiricists and rationalists have proposed opposing theories of the acquisition of knowledge, which appear unable to coexist. Each theory holds its own strengths but does not demonstrate a strong argument in itself to the questions, “Is knowledge truly possible?” and “How is true knowledge obtained?”. Immanual Kant successfully merged the two philosophies and provided a convincing argument with his theory of empirical relativism, or what some may call constructivism. His theory bridges the gap between rationalism and empiricism and proves that empiricists and rationalists each present a piece of the full puzzle. In order to truly understand Kant’s epistemology, one must first review and understand both empiricism and rationalism on an impartial basis.
Rationality from the Latin ‘rationari’ meaning to ‘think’ or ‘calculate’ is a significant concept in Western philosophy born out of the Enlightenment. During the 17th and 18th centuries many philosophers began to emphasise the use of reason as the best method of learning objective truth. Pioneers in this field include Descartes and Locke.
The debate between rationalist and empiricist philosophers looks at the nature of knowledge, and specifically, how we gain this knowledge. Rationalists and empiricists take opposite, and sometimes mutually exclusive, views on how knowledge is obtained.
The Romantic Era followed the Age of Enlightenment, a time of scientific discovery, political changes, and philosophical advancement. Romanticism challenged the rationality of the Enlightenment (Britannica). Romantic artists placed emotions above reason. In keeping with the Romantic tradition, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley challenges the benefits of science, education, and knowledge. In Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein, his creature, and Robert Walton are all ambitious; they have a desire for knowledge. However, this quest for knowledge brings about destruction to Dr. Frankenstein, misery to the monster, and danger to Walton. Shelley draws parallels to the Biblical story of the Fall; a catastrophe which befell mankind because of a desire for knowledge.
John Locke and Rene Descartes are both one of the first early modern philosophers. They both enlightened us with their superior work in the seventeenth century. Both Descartes and Locke tried to find the answers to similar question in “epistemology and metaphysics”. Both these topics included questions like-“what is knowledge? Is there certainty in knowledge? What roles do the mind and body play in the acquisition of knowledge?” Although they both were trying to find answers to the same questions however the answers to these questions were not the same. In this paper I shall compare and contrast between the philosophies of Descartes and Locke. .Firstly I will explain some similarities then I will explain the differences between their theories about rationalism and empiricism. In a nutshell I will conclude that they both are two different philosophers with two different explanations.
There is a distinct difference between rationalism and empiricism. In fact, they are very plainly the direct opposite of each other. Rationalism is the belief in innate ideas, reason, and deduction. Empiricism is the belief in sense perception, induction, and that there are no innate ideas.
Aquinas, in the Summa Theologiae, stated that, “Man should not seek to know what is above reason.” His argument was, in very simple terms, that men need reason to understand all of God’s truths. Yet there are certain truths that are beyond reason which men can only understand through Divine Revelation, or faith. And sometimes there might be certain aspects of faith that one day reason might have been able to prove but only a few men would know and understand this, so it is necessary that all men know this through Divine Revelation and faith.
Empiricists claim that knowledge does not directly originate from reason, but it originates from experience. Empiricists also believe in reason, but assert that reason is a way to augment knowledge that derives from experiences. Empiricists contend that reality is the essence which produces theory through experience. This makes empiricism a reductionist epistemology as well as it reduces the idea of truth to experiences (Resnick & Wolff, 1987). One can argue that our thoughts literally contribute to our experiences and similarly our experiences help us to constitute our thoughts. Both events are connected to each other and each event helps to shape the other. This implies neither empiricism nor rationalism can be utilized as a fair way to deliver the
To the empiricists, our mind is a blank slate when entering the world and only through experience are marks left on it. Empiricists are content with believing in conclusions that are probable rather than absolutely certain (Lawhead). Our sense experiences may not provide complete certainty as rationalists would like, but it is all we have to go on. Empiricists are against the speculation that rationalists tend to make. Empiricists believe every idea, concept, or term must be tested by tracing it back to an original experience from which it was derived (Lawhead). Empiricists also differ from rationalists by claiming that we have no innate ideas. While some ideas may seem universal, the empiricists would say these are expressions of the relations of our ideas or the generalizations from experience (Lawhead). For example,
one of the greatest feelings ever. Additionally, it makes me feel like I have actually
There are different views about how we gain knowledge of the world, through our senses or through our minds, and although many say that it is one or the other I believe that although we gain some knowledge through sense data not all of our ideas come from these impressions. There are those who stand on the side of empiricism, like David Hume, and those who stand on the side of rationalism, like René Descartes; then there are also those who believe that one can have a foot on both sides, like Immanuel Kant. To be on one side or the other never gives you full knowledge you must be willing to use your senses and your reason to form ideas.