Final answer:
Empirical knowledge comes from sensory experience and is foundational to scientific inquiry. Empiricists like John Locke believe the mind is a blank slate at birth, with knowledge accruing through experience. Empiricism is crucial in the sciences for validating theories with experimental evidence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The empirical pattern of knowing is obtained through sensory experience and forms the basis of empirical knowledge. This methodological approach is integral to the sciences where knowledge is ascertained through rigorous processes including observation, hypothesis formation, experimentation, and validation or falsification of hypotheses.
John Locke, a prominent empiricist, proposed that the human mind starts as a blank slate (tabula rasa) at birth, with knowledge accruing from experiences. Empiricism is contrasted with a priori knowledge which doesn't rely on sensory experience. For example, knowing there's a bird on the branch outside one's window represents a posteriori knowledge, as it's deduced through direct experience and observation.
In scientific disciplines, empiricism is essential, as it emphasizes the importance of empirical evidence and experimental findings to support hypotheses and theories.