: Rationalism, Empiricism, and Transcendental Idealism - Research Paper Example

There is the measurement of error that takes care of discrepancies in mathematics’ encounters with evidential reality. As long as a hypothesis is rationally consistent, it is assumed valid in mathematics. The field of law depends on both empiricism and rationalism. Rationalism offers a great number of possibilities of what actually has happened with a case and strong empirical evidence can validate one of the many hypotheses that are proposed. Empirical evidence must always lead to one single hypothesis, which if sufficiently backed up with evidence becomes the truth.

Without the need of an urgent singular truth, empirical evidence will become a heap of collected information with and without relevance and conclusion. Indeed law is a field of practice where reasoning has to be balanced with empirical evidence. Lizzie Borden’s father, Andrew Borden, and step-mother, Abby Borden, were murdered on 4th August, 1892 at Fall River, Massachusetts. Lizzie Borden was the daughter of Andrew Borden. She gave contradictory statements during the initial investigations.

This led to her becoming a suspect and being charged with double murder of her father and her step mother. Evidences, witness testimonies, possible hypotheses were argued in the court and at the end of the proceedings, Lizzie Borden was acquitted. The major characters in the case were Lizzie Borden, the accused, Abby and Andrew Borden, the deceased/murdered, Emma Borden, the sister and only sibling, Bridget Sullivan, the live-in maid for the Bordens, Hosea Knowlton, the lead prosecutor and George Robinson, the lead defense counsel.

(Martin & Benette, 1994) This paper does not look at the mystery of the gruesome murders that happened. This paper looks at the prosecution’s and defendant’s case and analyse these positions according to three philosophical positions namely Rationalism, Empiricism and Transcendental idealism. The principle argument that the prosecution