empiricism
/ɪmˈpɪrɪsɪzəm/
noun
- The belief that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience and observation, rather than from innate ideas or pure reason.
- Empiricism is a key idea in modern science, where theories must be tested against real-world observations.
- John Locke was a major philosopher who argued for empiricism, claiming the mind starts as a blank slate.
- The doctor's approach was based on empiricism: she relied on what she observed in her patients rather than on old textbooks.
Antonyms