StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

What Are the Important Differences between Rationalists and Empiricists - Term Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
As the paper "What Are the Important Differences between Rationalists and Empiricists?" stresses, both terms of rationalists and empiricists were used to define the following things: theories of justification, theories of concept acquisition, and theories of knowledge…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.2% of users find it useful
What Are the Important Differences between Rationalists and Empiricists
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "What Are the Important Differences between Rationalists and Empiricists"

Although Immanuel Kant managed to join both schools and gave birth to so-called rational empiricism, the differences between schools are important as they demonstrate the way one is able to get information and knowledge.

            There are several main points that divide rationalists and empiricists. They are these ones:

  1. How do people acquire knowledge?
  2. What are the sources of information/knowledge?
  3. How do people get their concepts?

It is known that rationalists and empiricists give different answers to the above-mentioned questions. Such rationalists as Des Cartes stated that one always describes the highest truth by means of logic and reason. One should not apply subjective or direct experience to do that. From an empiricist’s point of view, experience is very important as it is the basis of one’s development of logic. Once Isaac Asimov uttered that “I prefer rationalism to atheism. The question of God and other objects of faith are outside reason and play no part in rationalism, thus you do not have to waste your time in either attacking or defending” (Lacewing, 65). This statement demonstrates that for Asimov it was better and more convenient to use rationalism than empiricism.

            As for empiricism, it teaches that one should not try learning more about God with the help of reason. This school recommends using two projects instead of that. They are: critical and constructive. The first one focuses on the elimination of what is known by metaphysicians. The second pays attention to the commentaries of religious texts.

            A strong point of empiricism is that people are able quickly to understand the sources of information/knowledge. In the majority of cases, it is received with the help of the senses. It is a casual process. Experience helps to form one’s concepts. When the latter is gained, their understanding gives to the individual analytic knowledge.

Thus, John Locke is sure that “all ideas are derived from sense experience. The mind is a ‘tabula rasa’, empty at birth. He begins his argument by attacking the opposite point of view – that some ideas are not derived from sense experience, but are ‘innate’. By ‘innate idea’ Locke means a concept or proposition which is part of the mind from birth. For an idea to be part of the mind, the mind (the person) must know or be conscious of it: no proposition can be said to be in the Mind, which it never yet knew, which it was never yet conscious of” (Lacewing, 12).

            Thus, both rationalism and empiricism are connected with knowledge. However, they present different ways how one can get it. They explain knowledge in different ways. It is necessary to stress that empiricism and rationalism are two kinds of positions that are applied in epistemology which is the branch of philosophy devoted to considering knowledge. One of the major distinctions between rationalism and empiricism is their attitude toward intuition. Rationalism believes in it when another school does not accept this source of knowledge.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“What are the most important differences between rationalists and Term Paper”, n.d.)
What are the most important differences between rationalists and Term Paper. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1585999-what-are-the-most-important-differences-between-rationalists-and-empiricistssite-specific-philosophers-in-each-group
(What Are the Most Important Differences Between Rationalists and Term Paper)
What Are the Most Important Differences Between Rationalists and Term Paper. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1585999-what-are-the-most-important-differences-between-rationalists-and-empiricistssite-specific-philosophers-in-each-group.
“What Are the Most Important Differences Between Rationalists and Term Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1585999-what-are-the-most-important-differences-between-rationalists-and-empiricistssite-specific-philosophers-in-each-group.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF What Are the Important Differences between Rationalists and Empiricists

The Importance of Immanuel Kant's Works

He was particularly interested in creating a bridge between the rationalist and empiricist philosophies.... This book holds great value in the field of philosophy as it made important contributions to Metaphysics.... It is important to understand the social settings as well as the philosophical thought prevalent in the days of Kant in order to understand fully what he is trying to say....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

Does Kant Adequatly Address the Problems Evident in the Controversy between Empiricism and Rationalism

empiricists claim on the other side that sense experience is the final source of all our knowledge and ideals.... When empiricists say that we are only able to access appearances, they are not saying that we only have access to illusory representations.... empiricists, in this case provide some additional information of knowledge thought about the world (Kenny 50).... empiricists provide a sum up of lines and levels of thought....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Difference between rationalism and empiricism

The essay entitled "Difference between rationalism and empiricism" provides the information concerning the concepts of rationalism and empiricism.... Rationalism differentiates between an empirical knowledge and prior knowledge.... It is right that logic is predisposed with us who give us the ability to understand between right and wrong.... It is right that logic is predisposed with us who give us the ability to understand between right and wrong....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Epistemology of the Empiricists

In the paper 'The Epistemology of the empiricists' the author looks at the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge.... empiricists who denied that there are concepts that exist prior to experience.... rationalists believe there are innate ideas that are not found inexperience.... Kant has been justly recognized for creating a revolutionary synthesis between the absolute, but speculative certainties of the continental rationalism of his time (represented by Leibniz) and the practical approach of British empiricism (culminating with Hume) that ended up in universal skepticism....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

The Tendency in Empiricism

This paper ''Empiricism'' tells that The empiricists in general have tendencies that contrast with those of the rationalists.... empiricists hold that all the material for knowledge, our ideas or concepts, and all knowledge of actual matters of fact, as opposed to logical or conceptual truths.... empiricists deny that it is possible to know by reason alone the nature of what exists; rather, the nature of what exists can be known only through experience....
18 Pages (4500 words) Essay

Theories of Knowledge Attainment: Epistemology and Ontology

The main questions of this part of philosophy are what knowledge is, how we get knowledge, why we get it and what are the limitations.... According to rationalists, there are significant methods to obtain information autonomously of experience at the same time as empiricists consider the experience to be very essential in knowledge acquisition (Fodor 1975).... ccording to scientists, there is a significant difference between to expressions: 'I know that' and 'I know how'....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper

Major Questions in Philosophy

ationalists and empiricists have conflicting views within epistemology.... The views of empiricists are quite opposite; they think that only experience can give way to knowledge.... All the suppositions, which are considered by rationalists to be priori, empiricists considered as “trifling” if they were not proved by experience (Blackburn).... However, I must say that the views of empiricists are closer to my own views.... How exactly does the connection between our reason and sensory impressions work?...
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Does Kant Adequately Address the Problems Evident in the Controversy between Empiricism and Rationalism

empiricists claim on the other side that sense experience is the final source of all our knowledge and ideals.... hen empiricists say that we are only able to access appearances, they are not saying that we only have access to illusory representations.... rationalists claim that very independent we gain knowledge and ideas.... rationalists claim that very independent we gain knowledge and ideas.... As the paper outlines, emerges between rationalism and empiricism is the level in which we are dependent on sense experience in order for us to gain and acquire knowledge....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us