Total Philosophy: Epistemology - How we gain knowledge
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the origins of knowledge through the lenses of Empiricism and Rationalism. Emphasizing John Locke's 'Tabula Rasa' theory, it suggests that our minds are born blank, filling with concepts as we experience the world through our senses. Scottish philosopher David Hume supports this view, arguing that our ideas stem from sensory experiences. Rationalists, like Descartes, counter by asserting that certain knowledge, such as mathematics, is innate and not reliant on experience. Immanuel Kant offers a middle ground, proposing that we are born with 'predetermined conceptual schemes' that help us interpret our experiences. The video concludes by inviting viewers to share their thoughts on knowledge acquisition and to suggest future philosophical topics.
Takeaways
- đ Empiricism posits that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience.
- đ§ Rationalism asserts that certain knowledge can be acquired through reason alone, independent of experience.
- đ¶ John Locke, an Empiricist, believed in the 'Tabula Rasa' concept, suggesting that the mind is a blank slate at birth.
- đ¶ Locke argued that the mind fills with ideas and concepts as we encounter them through our senses.
- đ Locke also suggested that the mind groups simple concepts to form more complex ones, like combining 'cat', 'dog', and 'cow' to understand 'animals'.
- đš David Hume supported the Empiricist view, illustrating that a blind man cannot conceive colors without the sense of sight.
- đ€ Rationalists, like Descartes, counter that we can understand abstract concepts like mathematics without prior sensory experience.
- đą Descartes used the concept of a 'chiliagon' to argue that some ideas are not derived from sensory input.
- đą Immanuel Kant introduced a middle ground, suggesting we are born with innate concepts that help us interpret our experiences.
- ⎠Kant used the analogy of a ship on a river to explain how our innate concept of causality allows us to recognize objects as consistent despite changes in perception.
Q & A
What is empiricism, and how does it explain the way we gain knowledge?
-Empiricism is a philosophical view that argues all knowledge comes from sensory experience. According to this view, our minds start as a 'blank slate' (Tabula Rasa), and we gain ideas and concepts as we experience things through our senses, such as touch, sight, and sound.
How does John Locke's concept of 'Tabula Rasa' relate to knowledge acquisition?
-John Locke's concept of 'Tabula Rasa' suggests that when we are born, our minds are empty of all ideas and concepts. As we begin to experience the world through our senses, we gradually acquire knowledge, which builds into more complex ideas over time.
How does David Hume support empiricism in his philosophy?
-David Hume supports empiricism by arguing that people without certain senses, like a blind person with no concept of colors or a deaf person with no notion of sounds, can only form ideas when those senses are restored. This suggests that knowledge comes directly from sensory experiences.
What is the key difference between empiricism and rationalism?
-The key difference is that empiricism claims all knowledge comes from sensory experience, while rationalism argues that some knowledge can be gained through reason and thought alone, without needing sensory experience.
How does René Descartes argue in favor of rationalism?
-René Descartes supports rationalism by pointing out that we can conceive abstract concepts, like a chiliagon (a 1,000-sided shape), or understand mathematical ideas like 'equals' and 'square root' without ever having directly experienced them through our senses.
What modern perspective does Immanuel Kant offer regarding knowledge acquisition?
-Immanuel Kant argues that we are born with certain innate concepts, which he calls 'predetermined conceptual schemes,' that allow us to make sense of the world. Without these innate concepts, our sensory experiences would be chaotic and unintelligible.
What analogy does Kant use to illustrate the role of innate concepts in our perception?
-Kant uses the analogy of a ship sailing down a river. Without the innate concept of causality, we would perceive the ship as a different object each time it moves. The concept of causality helps us understand that it is the same ship over time, despite changes in its position.
How does Kant's theory differ from both empiricism and rationalism?
-Kant's theory is a blend of both empiricism and rationalism. He believes that while we need sensory experiences to form knowledge, these experiences are shaped by innate concepts we are born with, unlike pure empiricism which denies any form of innate knowledge.
Can all knowledge be gained through sensory experience, according to rationalists?
-No, rationalists argue that some knowledge, particularly in areas like mathematics, logic, and abstract concepts, can be gained through reasoning alone, without relying on sensory experience.
What is the central question the video script poses about knowledge acquisition?
-The central question posed is: 'How do we come to know things?' It explores different philosophical perspectives on how we gain knowledge, specifically contrasting empiricism, rationalism, and Kant's theory of innate concepts.
Outlines
đ Understanding Knowledge Acquisition
This paragraph delves into the philosophical debate on how we acquire knowledge. It introduces two primary schools of thought: Empiricism, which posits that all knowledge comes from experience, and Rationalism, which asserts that some knowledge can be derived from reason alone. John Locke, an Empiricist, is highlighted for his theory of Tabula Rasa, suggesting that the mind is a blank slate at birth, filling with ideas and concepts as we experience the world through our senses. The paragraph also touches on the Scottish Philosopher David Hume's support for this view, emphasizing the importance of sensory experience in forming ideas. In contrast, Rationalists like Descartes argue that certain concepts, such as mathematics, can be understood without sensory experience, challenging the Empiricist perspective. Lastly, Immanuel Kant's theory is mentioned, which posits that we are born with innate concepts that help us make sense of our experiences, suggesting a middle ground between Empiricism and Rationalism.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄEmpiricism
đĄRationalism
đĄTabula Rasa
đĄDavid Hume
đĄInnate Concepts
đĄCausality
đĄChiliagon
đĄSenses
đĄConcepts
đĄIdea Formation
đĄImmanuel Kant
Highlights
The sky is blue and the sun shines, but how do we come to know these things?
Empiricism suggests that all knowledge comes from experience.
Rationalism argues that some knowledge can be gained through reason alone.
John Locke, an empiricist, proposed the concept of 'Tabula Rasa', or a blank slate mind at birth.
Locke believed that the mind gains ideas and concepts through sensory experiences.
David Hume supported the empiricist view, stating that ideas come from sense experience.
Rationalists like Descartes argue that mathematical concepts can be known without experience.
Descartes used the concept of a 'chiliagon' to illustrate knowledge without experience.
Immanuel Kant introduced a middle ground, suggesting we are born with innate concepts.
Kant's theory includes 'Predetermined conceptual schemes' that help us make sense of the world.
Kant's analogy of a ship sailing down a river explains the role of innate concepts in perception.
The debate between empiricism and rationalism is central to understanding how we gain knowledge.
John Locke's view implies that without sensory input, our minds would remain empty.
Rationalism challenges the empiricist notion that all knowledge is derived from the senses.
Kant's philosophy suggests a combination of innate concepts and sensory experience shapes our knowledge.
The ship analogy highlights the importance of causality in our understanding of change and continuity.
The discussion invites viewers to consider their own theories on how knowledge is acquired.
Total Philosophy encourages viewers to share their thoughts and ideas in the comments.
Transcripts
When I wake up in the morning
I know that the sky is going to be blue
And that the sun will be shining
The tweeting I hear are birds singing
I know that when I go downstairs
And feed my cat
He will have four legs and will be ginger
And that the big metal box with wheels outside my house is called a car
But how do I know these things?
How did I come to be of this knowledge?
What allowed me to gain my concepts of
Sky Sun Birds Cat and Car?
There have originally been two schools of thought to how we come to be of knowledge
Empiricism which argues that we gain all of our knowledge from experience
And rationalism which argues that certain knowledge
Can be gained just by reason and thinking
British Philosopher John Locke
Was an Empiricist and argued that when we are born
Our minds are in the state of Tabula Rasa
Which when translated to English
Simply translates as blank slate
But what does John Locke mean by this?
Well John Locke was basically saying that when we are born
Our minds are completely empty of all ideas and concepts
And that as we start to experience things through our senses
Such as touch taste sight sound and smell
Our minds start to gain those ideas and concepts
We are all familiar with
For instance a new born baby might see a dog
And therefore gain the concept of dog
On top of this Locke says as our mind gains certain concepts
It starts to group them together to form more complex concepts
For example it may group the concepts of Cat Dog and Cow together
To form the concept of animals
Or group Box Wheels Motor together
To form the concept of car
This view on how we gain knowledge is supported by Scottish Philosopher
And heavy pie eater David Hume
Who says A blind man can form no notion of colours
A deaf man of sounds
Restore either of them that sense in which he is deficient
By opening this new inlet for his sensations
You also open an inlet for the ideas
And he finds no difficulty in conceiving these objects
This suggests that surely then our ideas can only come from our sense experience
However rationalists would strongly disagree
And instead argue that there is some knowledge
That we can get without needing to have experienced anything
For example a rationalist like Descartes
Would argue that concepts such as mathematics
Can be gained without experience
He backs up this claim by saying that we can conceive the concept of a chiliagon
A one thousand sided shape
Without having experienced such an object
Other mathematical concepts such as
Square root equals and plus
Also do not seem to have come from experience
Implying that the Empiricist view that that all knowledge comes from sense experience
is false
Lastly we will have a look at another more modern view of how we gain knowledge
Raised by German Philosopher Immanuel Kant
Kant is neither an empiricist nor is he a rationalist
Instead being German he created his own theory
Kant argued that we are all born with certain innate concepts
That allow us to make sense of the world
The official term he gives to these are
Predetermined conceptual schemes
Kant argues that without these concepts our experiences would just be a unintelligible
buzz of sensation
To illustrate this point he gives the the analogy of a ship sailing down a river
He says that if we looked at a ship sailing down a river
Without the predetermined concept of casualty
We would perceive the boat as a different object every time it moved
And our perception of it changed
It is only our concept of causality that we are born with
That tells us that the boat is the same boat that we saw a few seconds ago up the river
So what do you think?
How did you become to know of things?
Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments below
Please tell us what philosopher or theory you would like next
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And as always thank you for watching Total Philosophy
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