Philosophy Skepticism And Empiricism Study Cards

Enhance Your Learning with Philosophy - Skepticism and Empiricism Flash Cards for quick learning



Skepticism

A philosophical position that questions or doubts the possibility of knowledge, often challenging commonly held beliefs and assumptions.

Pyrrhonian Skepticism

A form of skepticism that suspends judgment and avoids making claims about the nature of reality, arguing that knowledge is unattainable.

Academic Skepticism

A form of skepticism associated with the ancient Greek philosopher Arcesilaus, which asserts that knowledge is impossible to attain due to the conflicting nature of evidence.

Cartesian Skepticism

A form of skepticism associated with René Descartes, which doubts the reliability of sensory perception and questions the possibility of knowledge beyond one's own existence.

Agnostic Skepticism

A form of skepticism that claims knowledge of certain topics, such as the existence of God, is inherently unknowable or beyond human comprehension.

Argument from Ignorance

A fallacious argument that asserts a proposition is true because it has not been proven false, or vice versa.

Problem of Induction

A philosophical problem that questions the justification for making generalizations based on past observations, as it relies on the assumption that the future will resemble the past.

Empiricism

A philosophical theory that emphasizes the role of experience and sensory perception in the acquisition of knowledge, rejecting innate ideas or concepts.

John Locke

An influential empiricist philosopher who argued that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience and that the mind is a blank slate at birth.

David Hume

A Scottish philosopher known for his radical empiricism and skepticism, challenging the foundations of causality, induction, and the self.

Tabula Rasa

A Latin term meaning 'blank slate,' used by John Locke to describe the mind at birth, suggesting that all knowledge is acquired through experience.

Rationalism

A philosophical theory that emphasizes the role of reason and innate ideas in the acquisition of knowledge, rejecting the primacy of sensory experience.

Immanuel Kant

A German philosopher who sought to reconcile rationalism and empiricism, arguing that knowledge is a synthesis of innate concepts and sensory experience.

Critique of Pure Reason

A major work by Immanuel Kant that explores the limits and possibilities of human knowledge, addressing the relationship between reason and experience.

Logical Positivism

A philosophical movement that emerged in the early 20th century, emphasizing the importance of empirical verification and rejecting metaphysical claims.

Falsifiability

A criterion proposed by Karl Popper, stating that for a theory to be considered scientific, it must be possible to conceive of an observation or experiment that could prove it false.

Scientific Method

A systematic approach to acquiring knowledge through observation, experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.

Inductive Reasoning

A form of reasoning that involves making generalizations or predictions based on specific observations or evidence.

Deductive Reasoning

A form of reasoning that involves drawing specific conclusions from general principles or premises.

Sensory Experience

The information received through the senses, such as sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, which forms the basis of empirical knowledge.

Sense Data

The immediate objects of perception, such as colors, sounds, and textures, which are experienced directly and form the basis of empirical knowledge.

Primary Qualities

Qualities of objects that exist independently of perception, such as shape, size, and motion, which can be accurately known through sensory experience.

Secondary Qualities

Qualities of objects that depend on perception, such as color, taste, and smell, which are subjective and can vary between individuals.