Understanding Empiricism and Its Philosophical Foundations
Empiricism Unlike rationalists, defended the human mind as capable of resolving problems by applying the appropriate method. For empiricists, it was doubtful whether one could attain some knowledge; they did not believe in the rational powers of man. Locke (1632–1704) was born in a household in Wrington. He was Puritan, bonded by a love of simple things and hard work. He studied the classics and joined the University of Oxford, where he lived for 30 years. He studied logic and metaphysics from Aristotle, as well as science, because he was a physician. He was concerned with developing a philosophical understanding of certain problems faced by his generation, wrote several books on philosophy and politics, and was the first to investigate the scope and limits of the human mind. He thought that if he could describe knowledge, he could also define its limits. He believed that knowledge is limited to ideas that come from experience, which is expressed in two ways: sensation and reflection, meaning that ideas come to us through our senses from the outside world and through internal reflection. Initially, the mind is a blank slate, and then through experience, knowledge is acquired, thus ruling out innate ideas (which are not present at birth). He affirmed that it is possible to prove the existence of God without resorting to such innate ideas.
Simple and Complex Ideas: Through our senses, we familiarize ourselves with external objects, and then through reflection, ideas occur (reflection allows us to perceive, think, doubt, believe, reason, and know). Simple: These are the raw materials with which we elaborate our knowledge; the mind receives them through the senses passively. Complex: These are not received passively; rather, the mind creates them by combining simple ideas. Quality: This refers to the power of objects to produce an idea in our mind. Primary: These qualities are inseparable from the object, e.g., a snowball is round. Secondary: These are qualities such as the coolness or whiteness of the snow, which are not inherent to the snowball itself but are created in our minds through our senses. Substance: This is the object of perceptual knowledge and is the product of perception. Levels of Knowledge: The extent and validity of our knowledge depend on the relationships between ideas and knowledge. It defines the connection of agreement or disagreement of our ideas. There are three modes of perception: 1. Intuitive Knowledge: immediate, clear, and certain; 2. Demonstrative Knowledge: when the mind tries to discover the agreement or disagreement of ideas (as in mathematics); 3. Sensory Knowledge: which does not provide certain or exact knowledge.
Moral and Political Theory: Morality has to do with the choice or desire to do good, and how mathematics can be proven. Ethics: There are three laws: The Law of Opinion: this is the opinion of the community regarding the type of conduct that leads to happiness; Civil Law: this is set by the government and applied by the courts; Divine Law: this is the true rule for human conduct, given by reason through revelation, which must be consistent with divine righteousness as it exists in nature.