empiricism

== English == === Etymology === From empiric + -ism. === Pronunciation === === Noun === empiricism (countable and uncountable, plural empiricisms) (philosophy) A doctrine which holds that the only or, at least, the most reliable source of human knowledge is experience, especially perception by means of the physical senses. (Often contrasted with rationalism.) [from 18th c.] A pursuit of knowledge purely through experience, especially by means of observation and sometimes by experimentation. [from 19th c.] 1885, Gerard F. Cobb, "Musical Psychics," Proceedings of the Musical Association, 11th Session, p. 119: Our whole life in some of its highest and most important aspects is simply empiricism. Empiricism is only another word for experience. 1951, Albert Einstein, letter to Maurice Solovine (Jan. 1), in Letters to Solovine: I have found no better expression than "religious" for confidence in the rational nature of reality.... Whenever this feeling is absent, science degenerates into uninspired empiricism. (social sciences, political science, sociology) Research methodology shaped from empirical philosophy (see above), e.g. surveys, statistics, etc. (medicine, now chiefly historical) Medicine as practised by an empiric, founded on mere (personal or anecdotal) experience, without the aid of science or a knowledge of principles. [from 17th c.] Near-synonyms: folk medicine; quackery; charlatanry 1990, Alison Klairmont Lingo, "Review of Professional and Popular Medicine in France, 1770-1830 by Matthew Ramsey," Journal of Social History, vol. 23, no. 3 (Spring), p. 607: Even at the height of its popularity, medical empiricism was the creature of a most unforgiving free market economy. Successful practitioners seduced crowds as well as public officials. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== empirical empiricist ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== rationalism === References === “empiricism”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. "empiricism" in Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911 ed. "empiricism" in Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., at Bartleby.com. "empiricism" by F. P. Siegfried, in The Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert Appleton Company, New York, 1911. Notes: