Q&A: Empiricism
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Empiricism
Question
Is the reason science today is basically empiricist mainly because the method simply works better in reality than rationalist science, or is there some philosophical assumption behind it that sensory information is better than intellectual assumptions and explanations?
Answer
The distinction between empiricism and rationalism is anachronistic. There is no such thing as empiricist science, since it is saturated with rationalist assumptions. No one disputes that if something can be tested empirically, it is proper to do so. That certainly does not make things worse. If there is no way to test it, then it is philosophy and not science. Therefore the question does not really arise.
It seems to me that empiricism without rationalism has no right to exist. Is the fact that the sun has risen over the past million years empirical enough for us to conclude that it will also rise for us next year? So without rationalism, it is impossible to determine the boundaries of empiricism.