Philosophy: Empiricism

Paper Summary:

This paper considers the question of whether empiricism, if followed consistently, collapses into idealism and concludes that, with some reservations, it does indeed evolve into idealism.

From the Paper:

"It is important at first to identify the fact that "empiricism" may refer to a method - for example, the "empirical method" of observing child behavior, or an "empirical study of cancer in rats" - and it also may refer to the philosophy (or the theory) that embraces empiricism. That philosophy of empiricism, by one definition, "has its roots in dualist theories of perception and communication" (Vesey, 1976). The "perception" part of the theory, Vesey explains (vii), is when a person's mind, "as well as his body, is acted on when he perceives something." That is to say, that "something" that his body is acted upon - let's say it is a large tree swaying in the wind - stimulates his sense organs and his nervous system; but beyond that stimulation, there is also a "sensation" or a "sense-impression" which happens when the mind is acted on, according to the theory. "

More papers on Philosophy: Empiricism:

• Analytical Essay # 55989 : "Rationalism versus Empiricism"
• Essay # 50445 : "Empiricism and Liberalism in Writings by Locke"
• Argumentative Essay # 27453 : "John Locke's Proposal of Empiricism"

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