empiricist philosophy
- noun
- /ɛmˈpɪrɪkɪst fəˈlɑsəfi/
- Formal
:
filosofía empirista
- This view, largely constructed within logical empiricist philosophy, paints a heroic picture of the scientist.
Examples
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According to empiricist philosophy, we can only gain knowledge through our sensory experiences.
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Many scientists base their theories on empiricist philosophy, emphasizing observation and experimentation.
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In empiricist philosophy, the validity of knowledge is determined by how it can be tested through our senses.
Synonyms
6
8.4
A view that we learn mainly from experience, observation, and experiments
2
9.9
The idea that real knowledge comes only from what we can see or test
A British way of thinking that says people learn from experience and the senses
Belief that knowledge and morals come from feelings and sense experience
The belief that people learn best by doing things rather than by reading or listening
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'empiricist philosophy' is directly compositional: 'empiricist' (one who emphasizes knowledge through experience) modifies 'philosophy' (the study of knowledge), yielding 'philosophy that grounds knowledge in sensory experience.' This is a straightforward adjective-noun combination found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the phrase's meaning.
Etymology
Empiricist philosophy comes from the idea of learning by 'experience', with empiricist meaning you learn from what you can see, hear, touch or test and philosophy meaning a way of thinking. That's why it means 'the view that knowledge comes mainly from the senses'.