2.1 Empiricism: How to Know Stuff Flashcards
What is “Empiricism”?
The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation.
What two kinds of doctors were there in ancient Greece?
Dogmatists; thought that the best way to understand illness was to speculate about the body’s functions
Empiricists; who thought that the best way to understand illness was to observe sick people
What is the “scientific method”?
A procedure for finding truth by using empirical evidence
When we have an idea about the world—about how bats navigate, or where the moon came from, or why people can’t forget traumatic events—we should gather empirical evidence relevant to that idea and then modify the idea to fit with the evidence
What’s a “theory”?
A hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomenon.
What is the the “rule of parsimony”?
The simplest theory that explains all the evidence is the best one
“it makes sense to start with the simplest theory and then make the theory more complicated only if one must” - William Ockham
What’s a “hypothesis”?
A falsifiable prediction made by a theory
What’s the “Empirical Method”?
A set of rules and techniques for observation
What’s the Hawthorne Effect?
The alteration of behaviour by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed.
What three qualities do humans possess that make them difficult to study?
Complexity
Variability
Reactivity
