Philosophy as a pursuit of knowledge tends to follow certain definite schools of thought to ascertain the best course that would assist human to coexist effectively and productively. Various thinkers have raised their thoughts to highlight their conception of the expectations of an ideal world. Considering that these philosophers come from different environments, it, therefore, interprets that their ideals are shaped by happenings that trigger their meditations. In this light, there will arise opposing philosophical opinions, and sometimes this draws the opinions of a third philosopher to strike a balance between the two. This essay aims at comparing the philosophical ideas behind rationalist and empiricist philosophers. Although the two schools of thought tend to be at loggerheads, a third theory referred to as epistemology comes in to forge a common ground between the two.
Epistemology as a philosophical branch dwells on the theory of knowledge. It seeks to unearth the nature of knowledge and also examines whether it is in order to justify the knowledge held. The study also questions the rationality of various beliefs. Constructivist epistemology, a branch of epistemology, argues that it is the role of the world of science to construct scientific knowledge through the measures and construct that model the natural world. Immanuel Kant developed this theory by suggesting that people’s lives contain material realities that re highlighted by the blatant expansion of the power of ideas. With this he ascertained that science is responsible for the development of globally accepted conclusions.
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Empiricism is a branch of the study of human knowledge or epistemology. The empirical theories are based on the idea that sensory experience is crucial in an individual’s acquisition of knowledge. This theory was developed by a British philosopher named John Locke, who stressed that the empirical evidence has a detrimental role in shaping human ideas. Locke favored this idea in the place of tradition and innate ideas. He advocated that humans are capable of making observations and undertaking experiments to ascertain the knowledge they identify with. Immanuel Kant later seconded Locke’s ideals where knowledge earned through this course was referred to as a posteriori knowledge.
Rationalism as a philosophical theory gained its popularity during the Age of Reason. This school of thought was initially hatched in the 17th century and was characterized by the adoption of mathematical applications in philosophical problem-solving. Some of the major philosophical figures who pioneered this theory include Descartes, Baruch Spinoza and Leibniz. They are the ones that paved the way for the French rationalists that identified with the rationalist ideals in the Age of Enlightenment that followed in the 18th century.
The common factor in rationalism involves views that appeal to the intellect and also observe the deductive logic to furnish individuals with knowledge and justification. The institution of reason, therefore, is detrimental in informing an individual about the world we live in. The thoughts of empiricist, in a bid to forge a common ground, concur with rationalism by arguing that experience provides the information. It is thus necessary for an individual to be experienced if at all there is hope for the acquisition of knowledge.
At another level, rationalism tends to contrast with empiricism especially when it is gauged on regional perspectives. Terms such as continental rationalism have therefore arisen in the past to define the ideologists of the European continental school where the ideals were predominant. Rationalism held the view that, in principle, exclusive use of reason may enhance the acquisition of vast knowledge which includes scientific knowledge. While this is possible in principle, it may not apply in practice to humans unless it is applied in specific areas such as mathematics. However, the distinction between these schools of thought is not as very elaborate.
Rene Descartes was one of the pioneer developers of rationalism through his involvement in Cartesianism. He was of the opinion that eternal truths could be ascertained through reason alone and independent of sensory experience. By eternal truths, the Cartesian theorist was referring to disciplines such as mathematics and the foundations of sciences that are based on epistemology and metaphysics. He further argued that the other truths were enhanced by the overall global experience and with further assistance from the scientific method. Knowledge of physics as a discipline is a good example of such other knowledge that is different from the knowledge of eternal truths. These definitions based on Descartes’ Cartesianism present a moderate rationalist approach. One of the popular Descartes slogans is “I think, therefore I am” which showcases that inference or individual experience are not employed, but instead the slogan is a conclusion reached a priori.
Spinoza further undertook an expansive approach on Descartes’ fundamental principles of rationalism. His philosophical theory was to a large extent theologically inspired and revolved around his conception that God is the only absolute being. This has highlighted striking similarities between Spinoza’s and Descartes’ consideration of God. The two philosophers further agree that thought and extensions are the two attributes that are applied to the composition of substance. Other philosophers have made their contribution in sealing the loopholes that are evident in Descartes’ theory. Gottfried Leibniz, for example, put Descartes’ work against Plato’s conception of form and the notion of the universe as a composition of monads. Thus, while the innate ideas are embedded in the intellect, they are embedded in a virtual sense. Leibniz further stressed that the actualization of ideas occurs when the mind engages in a self-reflection. Another renowned philosopher whose rationalist views were religiously backed was Nicolas Malebranche. He banked on strong Christian ideologies and also revered the teachings of St. Augustine to intimate that when ideas help in the individual acquisition of knowledge as opposed to sensory recognition, the underlying ideals exist only in God. He thus posits that the intellectual accession of such ideas serves to apprehend objective truth. His views are advanced when viewed from a rationalist perspective although they have been subject to attack on theological grounds. Indeed both rationalists and empiricists present complementary ideas on human knowledge while epistemology serves as the bridge that links the two schools of thought.
