the Great Empiricists

The first doctrine, rationalism, consists of using our reason for obtaining
knowledge. The epistemology behind nationalism is that reason is the ultimate
source of knowledge. Yet, on the other hand, a new movement emerged
believing that knowledge is derived only from our senses and experiences. In
other words, empiricism is the belief that our knowledge about the external
world would come through our experiences with it. In this regard, we refer to the
most key figures empiricists in the enlightenment. Starting with John lock,
George Berkeley, David Hume, and Burke. They all have almost the same belief
about knowledge that we get through our experiences.

John lock, the British supreme liberal, whose ideas greatly influenced the
enlightenment. His epistemology can be summarized in his saying "no men's
knowledge can go beyond his experiences'. We are tabula Rasa until we
experience objects in the real world and we use our brains to organize those
simple inputs (ideas) and combine them into complex ones. He denies the fact
that we are born with innate ideas acquired from a previous existence. Thus, he
comes to the conclusion that "our motions about what actually exists must
always derive ultimately from what has been experienced through the senses'.
For Locke, we are unable to know and understand everything that's why we need
to know about our limits, to know what we are capable of. Locke on politics
invites protection and liberty for men saying that the government should protect
life, liberty and people's properties. In religion, he was protestants and was
against the idea of enforcing or imposing any religious beliefs on people. He
advocates we should not unthinkingly follow authorities be it what it may
without basing our views and behaviors on how things are really are. john lock
makes his distinction in the kinds of experience which are sensation
(experiences from the outer world) and reflections (experiences from the inner
world). He decides also ideas into simple and complex along with the primary
and secondary qualities of objects.

Berkely, on the other hand, is the consistent empiricist. He was known for
his empiricist, idealism, and materialism philosophy. Empiricism is about
acquiring knowledge through experiences; he believes it is subjective since we
have different interpretations and awareness towards objects. Idealism in
Berkeley's work consists of that objects are collections of ideas and experiences
and they depend on the human mind to organize them. Last but not least,
materialism is about there is no material substance and all that exists in the
physical and spiritual world cannot be explained

The modified septic David Hume is also an influential figure in the

empiricism movement. He shares the same belief with the previous philosophers
that knowledge is derived slowly from experience. He perceives experience in
what he calls the theory of perception in which, according to Hume, the mind
consists of impressions derived from our experiences and ideas that are the
fainter representation of these impressions. For, Hume, God is an infinite entity
that we cannot observe thus we have no evidence of it. He also explained the
idea of causality from a different perspective that what we observe are just
actions constantly conjoined and one action following the other rather than one
causing the other. Thus, he calls for inductive reasoning believing that the
causes and effects we observe in the real world may not be the same in the
future and we have no way of knowing that expert by doubting and making
probabilities because at the end of the day we have no certain knowledge to
gain. Last but not least, Edmund Burke the supreme conservative. One of the
influential figures in his day. He advocates in politics the view of organic rather
than revolutionary change in politics that is why he was against the French
revolution and reflected on it as a disaster. He believes idealism cannot be
attained since humans are imperfect beings. The most important idea discussed
by this philosopher is the sublime which is about the art that is aesthetically
clear. Yet, there is an infinite art that cannot be distinct or clear. The sublime is
all about the greatness and beauty in things. An explanation of the sublime is
greatly forwards in his book ‘’A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our
Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful published in 1757. Thus, according to
Burke, ’’the Beautiful is that which is well-formed and aesthetically pleasing,
whereas the Sublime is that which has the power to compel and destroy us. The
preference for the Sublime over the Beautiful was to mark the transition from
the Neoclassical to the Romantic era’’.

In short, though these philosophers may have different works and

different ways of expressing their view of empiricism, they share one premise
that knowledge is solely derived from our senses, experiences, emotions, and we
are tabula rasa with no innate or preexisting ideas. Besides, knowledge cannot
be attained and all that we get is just probabilities that we cannot tell are true
until we experience them