Empiricalism

Empiricalism is a philosophical stance that posits knowledge and justified beliefs arise from sensory experience and observation. Although closely related to empiricism, some writers use empiricalism to stress a methodological commitment to evidence gathered through experience, experiment, and measurement, rather than to broader metaphysical claims about the nature of reality.

Historically, empiricalism sits within the broader empiricist tradition. Proponents argue that ideas are derived from or constrained by experience and that universal knowledge cannot be secured apart from observational data. In science, empiricalism underlines the importance of data, experiment, repeatability, and falsifiability as tests of theoretical claims. It often entails caution toward innate ideas or a priori reasoning and supports a gradual, inductive path from observation to general theory.

Critics challenge empiricalism on several fronts. The problem of induction questions how generalizations follow from finite observations. Other objections include the theory-ladenness of observation, where what is observed is influenced by existing theories, and underdetermination, where data may permit multiple competing explanations.

In contemporary discourse, empiricalism may appear as a methodological stance within epistemology and the philosophy of science, and it informs evidence-based practice across disciplines. It is commonly contrasted with rationalism, instrumentalism, and certain forms of scientific realism.