Empiricism and Geographical thought
Critically discuss the concepts of empiricism and empirical methods and their use in geography. Your assignment should highlight the differences between the two, as informed by lecture material and reading. You must support your argument by referring to the assigned readings available on Blackboard and a minimum of TWO additional readings from academic sources. An academic style of writing is expected, including a complete list of references.
“Let us suppose the mind to be, as we say, a blank slate (tabula rasa) of while paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; how comes it to be furnished? Whence comes it by that vast store, which the busy and bound… to this I answer in one word, from experience: in that all our knowledge is founded, and from that it ultimately derives itself.” (Childer & Hentzi, 1995). It is near impossible to discuss empiricism without referring to Locke, Bacon and Hume, these philosophers contributed greatly to the understanding and establishing of this theory (Woolhouse, 1998). Another philosopher that influenced the change in social thinking at the time was Alexander van Humboldt (Bowen, 2009). In the seventeenth century there was shift occurring in the scientific and social world as the writing of many great social thinkers like van hum bolt, Engels and Marx began to influence the world (Bowen, 2009). The want for change of scientific thinking and practice led to van Humboldt producing a new set of procedure based on a more appropriate theory of knowledge ‘empiricism’ (Bowen, 2009).
Based on philosophical tradition empiricism is the assumption that knowledge is acquired through means of observation and experience which would be opposed to the theory of deductive reasoning which would generally be known as rationalism (Childers & Hentzi, 1995). Although itt is known as a theory based on the origin of knowledge empiricism according to Woolhouse (1998) can also be regarded sometimes as a methodology. Woolhouse (1998)
“Let us suppose the mind to be, as we say, a blank slate (tabula rasa) of while paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; how comes it to be furnished? Whence comes it by that vast store, which the busy and bound… to this I answer in one word, from experience: in that all our knowledge is founded, and from that it ultimately derives itself.” (Childer & Hentzi, 1995). It is near impossible to discuss empiricism without referring to Locke, Bacon and Hume, these philosophers contributed greatly to the understanding and establishing of this theory (Woolhouse, 1998). Another philosopher that influenced the change in social thinking at the time was Alexander van Humboldt (Bowen, 2009). In the seventeenth century there was shift occurring in the scientific and social world as the writing of many great social thinkers like van hum bolt, Engels and Marx began to influence the world (Bowen, 2009). The want for change of scientific thinking and practice led to van Humboldt producing a new set of procedure based on a more appropriate theory of knowledge ‘empiricism’ (Bowen, 2009).
Based on philosophical tradition empiricism is the assumption that knowledge is acquired through means of observation and experience which would be opposed to the theory of deductive reasoning which would generally be known as rationalism (Childers & Hentzi, 1995). Although itt is known as a theory based on the origin of knowledge empiricism according to Woolhouse (1998) can also be regarded sometimes as a methodology. Woolhouse (1998)
Bibliography: Cloke, P. Cook, I. Goodwin, M. Painter, J. Philo, C. (2004). Practising Human Geography. London: Sage. p250-309. Woolhouse, R.S (1998). The Empiricists. London: Oxford University Press. p1-27, p74-78. Childers, J. Hentzi, G (1995). The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism. New York: Columbia University Press. p352. Bowen, M (2009). Empiricism and Geographical thought. London: Cambridge University Press. p1-7.