What does empiricism mean?
Empiricism is the philosophical doctrine that knowledge originates in sensory experience rather than in innate ideas, intuition, or pure reasoning. According to this view, the mind at birth contains no ready-made truths; instead, understanding is built up gradually through observation, perception, and experiment. The term also has a broader, non-technical meaning: a general commitment to basing beliefs and decisions on evidence gathered from the real world. Empiricism flourished in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Britain through thinkers such as John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume, whose work shaped modern science by insisting that claims about nature be tested against observation. The adjective form, empirical, describes evidence drawn from experiment or direct experience, while an empiricist is someone who adopts this outlook. Today the word signals intellectual humility and rigor: to embrace empiricism is to let facts, not preconceptions, determine what we accept as true.
nounThe theory that all knowledge derives from sense experience and observation, rather than from innate ideas or pure reason. More broadly, the practice of relying on empirical evidence, especially in science or medicine.
- In philosophy: the doctrine that all knowledge is ultimately derived from sense experience.
- In general use: reliance on practical experience and observation rather than theory or pure reasoning.
"British empiricism, from Locke to Hume, held that the mind begins as a blank slate written on by experience."
"The success of modern medicine owes much to empiricism — treatments are adopted only when clinical trials show they work."
"Locke's empiricism rejected the notion of innate ideas, insisting instead that all understanding begins with sensation."
Rarely used in the plural; occasionally appears in academic writing to refer to distinct varieties or traditions of empirical thought.
"Historians distinguish several rival empiricisms that emerged across Europe during the Enlightenment."
John Locke compared the newborn mind to a blank sheet of paper — every word ever written on it, he argued, arrived through the senses.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of empiricism
Empiricism entered English in the mid-seventeenth century, derived from 'empiric', meaning one who relies on observation and experiment, which traces back through Latin 'empiricus' and Greek 'empeirikos' ('experienced'), from 'empeiria' ('experience'). The Greek root combines 'en' ('in') with 'peira' ('trial' or 'attempt'), the same root that gives English words such as 'experiment' and 'peril'. Its cognates include 'empirical' and 'empiricist', all sharing the core idea of knowledge grounded in lived experience.
Related word forms
How empiricism is actually used
Empiricism is a formal, largely academic term. In philosophy it names a major epistemological tradition (associated with Locke, Berkeley, and Hume); in everyday or scientific contexts it simply denotes an evidence-based approach. It carries a generally positive connotation in scientific discourse, suggesting rigor and open-mindedness.
Easily confused with empiricism
Rationalism holds that knowledge comes primarily from reason and innate ideas, whereas empiricism grounds knowledge in sensory experience and observation.