Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Terminology Tuesday: Empiricism

Empiricism: A philosophical theory that assumes that all knowledge is gained through either internal experience (thoughts, emotions, etc.) or external experience (sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste). Empiricism is most closely associated with individuals such as Francis Bacon and John Locke, but the purest form of empiricism is found in the thought of David Hume. Hume took empiricism to its extreme, stating that a person can not really know if external things (objects) exist because all one can know for certain is one's own experience of those things.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 44.

What was last year's post? It was a great free ebook.

3 comments :

Adam said...

I have truly enjoyed and been blessed by this website. As a pastor and apologist, this has been an invaluable resource for me and my ministry.

Respectfully,
Pastor Adam Barton, Akron, Ohio

Brian said...

Thanks, Pastor.
That's a great encouragement.

Brian

Ex N1hilo said...

Empiricism is one of those ideas that is not only self-refuting, but also very popular. A combination that is surprisingly common.

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