A rationalist theory of concepts asserts that some concepts are a priori and that these concepts are innate, or part of the original structure or constitution of the mind. Its most fundamental antithesis is with the latter-i.e., with rationalism, also called intellectualism or apriorism.
Stressing experience, empiricism often opposes the claims of authority, intuition, imaginative conjecture, and abstract, theoretical, or systematic reasoning as sources of reliable belief. It is rare, however, to find a philosopher who accepts a priori concepts but denies a priori propositions. Many empiricists have admitted that there are a priori propositions but have denied that there are a priori concepts. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.Įmpiricism regarding concepts and empiricism regarding knowledge do not strictly imply each other. An equivalent way of stating this thesis is to say that all human knowledge is derived from experience. It views beliefs, or at least some vital classes of belief-e.g., the belief that this object is red-as depending ultimately and necessarily on experience for their justification.
The third definition of empiricism is a theory of knowledge, or theory of justification. This view is closely linked to the notion that the conditions of application of a concept must always be specified in experiential terms. Some empiricists have held that all concepts are either mental “copies” of items that are directly experienced or complex combinations of concepts that are themselves copies of items that are directly experienced. The first two definitions of empiricism typically involve an implicit theory of meaning, according to which words are meaningful only insofar as they convey concepts. Thus, according to the second and third definitions of empiricism above, empiricism is the view that all concepts, or all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions, are a posteriori rather than a priori. Beliefs or propositions are said to be a posteriori if they are knowable only on the basis of experience and a priori if they are knowable independently of experience ( see a posteriori knowledge). This broad definition accords with the derivation of the term empiricism from the ancient Greek word empeiria, “experience.”Ĭoncepts are said to be “a posteriori” (Latin: “from the latter”) if they can be applied only on the basis of experience, and they are called “a priori” (“from the former”) if they can be applied independently of experience.
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