Flashcards on Modern Philosophy: Empiricism and Rationalism
Modern Philosophy: Empiricism & Rationalism Explained
Tap to flip · Swipe to navigate
Epistemology
20 cards
Card 1
Question: What is empiricism's main claim about the source of knowledge?
Answer: Genuine knowledge comes from sensory experience and observation (seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling).
Card 2
Question: How do empiricists view innate ideas?
Answer: Empiricists reject innate ideas and hold that knowledge does not exist independently of sensory experience.
Card 3
Question: How did empiricism influence the scientific method?
Answer: It emphasized systematic observation, experimentation, and hypothesis testing based on empirical evidence.
Card 4
Question: What metaphor describes the mind according to empiricism, and what does it mean?
Answer: Tabula rasa — the mind is initially a blank slate that acquires knowledge through sensory interactions with the external world.
Card 5
Question: Which type of reasoning do empiricists often use, and what does it involve?
Answer: Inductive reasoning — drawing general conclusions from specific observations or instances to formulate hypotheses and theories.
Card 6
Question: Name four thinkers associated with empiricism listed in the content.
Answer: Francis Bacon, John Locke, David Hume, George Berkeley (Thomas Hobbes also listed).
Card 7
Question: What does rationalism claim is the primary source of knowledge?
Answer: Reason, logic, and innate ideas are the primary sources of knowledge according to rationalism.
Card 8
Question: How does rationalism differ from empiricism regarding the role of experience?
Answer: Rationalism holds that certain truths can be known independently of sensory experience, whereas empiricism says knowledge originates from sensory expe
Card 9
Question: What are innate ideas in rationalist thought?
Answer: Ideas or knowledge inherent in the mind from birth, not derived from sensory experience and uncovered by reflection and introspection.
Card 10
Question: What is 'a priori' knowledge in rationalism?
Answer: Knowledge independent of sensory experience that can be known prior to or without empirical observation; derived from reason alone and often considere