empiricism

Meanings

Plural: empiricisms

Noun

• (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience
• the application of empirical methods in any art or science
• medical practice and advice based on observation and experience in ignorance of scientific findings
• A doctrine which holds that the only or, at least, the most reliable source of human knowledge is experience, especially perception by means of the physical senses. (Often contrasted with rationalism.)
• A pursuit of knowledge purely through experience, especially by means of observation and sometimes by experimentation.
• Research methodology shaped from empirical philosophy (see above), e.g. surveys, statistics, etc.
• Medicine as practised by an empiric, founded on mere (personal or anecdotal) experience, without the aid of science or a knowledge of principles.

Synonyms

empiricist philosophy, quackery, sensationalism

Related Words

empirical, empiricist, rationalism