Question

Which pair of approaches highlights different methods in understanding knowledge and truth?

a) Empirical: Focuses on using sensory experience and observation; Rationalist: Emphasizes reason and innate knowledge.
b) Empirical: Relying on introspection; Rationalist: Prioritizing external experimental data.
c) Empirical: Centers on theoretical deduction; Rationalist: Concentrates on empirical evidence.
d) Empirical: Relies on theoretical reasoning; Rationalist: Emphasizes observation and experimentation.

Answer 1

The approaches highlighting different methods of understanding knowledge and truth are: a) Empirical, using sensory experience and observation; b) Rationalist, emphasizing reason and innate knowledge. Empiricism is based on sensory experience while Rationalism depends on a priori logical reasoning.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pair of approaches that highlights different methods in understanding knowledge and truth is: a) Empirical: Focuses on using sensory experience and observation; Rationalist: Emphasizes reason and innate knowledge.

Empiricism is the theory that states that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience. It is a foundational aspect of the scientific method, requiring observation and experimentation to test hypotheses against the natural world. Key empiricists, such as John Locke, argue that the mind is a blank slate at birth (tabula rasa) and that knowledge comes exclusively from sensory experiences.

On the other hand, Rationalism asserts that significant knowledge of the world can be achieved by a priori means, prioritizing logical reasoning over sensory experience. Rationalist philosophers, like René Descartes, believed that some knowledge is innate and can be developed through the use of reason.