Talk:Empiricism
From Academic Kids
Shouldn't Thomas Hobbes be included in the list of empiricists?
Should this article also include some mention of recent challenges to the philosophical usefulness and historical accuracy of the term "empiricism"?
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Empiricism?
If Empiricism is based on observation then would not one mans faith in God manifested be Empiricism? For example, ones prayers being answered. According to the rationalist, philosophy should be performed via introspection and a priori deductive reasoning. If one looks at the universe and sees all that is, deductive reason would show a Creator. Just an opinion.
- Empiricism usually uses inductive reasoning based on observation to suggest theories to explain those observations. Rationalism is generally opposed to empiricism in that it starts with assumptions and then uses deductive reasoning to see what follows from them. Manifestation of God is generally not regarded as being DIRECTLY observable. You may see things that you think imply that God exists, but this is rationalist, not empirical reasoning.
- The word observation usually implies that something sensed is measurable and confirmable by others (so personally hearing God talk to you would not count unless it could be confirmed by others). I am not aware of any empiricist arguments for God, although some empiricist philosophers did believe in God. WhiteC 07:00, 20 May 2005 (UTC)
