Empiricism, Rationalism, Skepticism, and Pragmatis
Introduction
A school of thought pertains to an intellectual tradition and refers to the perspective of people having common philosophical outlooks or opinions; it is a belief, cultural movement, or even a shared discipline by a group of people. Philosophical theories are sets of beliefs that account for or explains a general philosophy branch or account for it. Statements that the thinkers believe to be true are the main element of philosophy; however, the truth believed by thinkers that accept various philosophies may be or may not be empirical. Philosophical positions are the stances taken in place of an accepted philosophy and include other dogmas, hypotheses, doctrines, principles, paradoxes, rules laws, with ‘-ologies’, ‘-isms’ and effects. Some of the common schools of thought include Empiricism, Rationalism, Skepticism, and Pragmatism, all which have different theoretical constructs and influences. Empiricism is a philosophical theory, which posits that all knowledge is gained only from primary sensory experiences, and it is a significant pillar of epistemology. This theory gained momentum in the 17th and 18th centuries and was stimulated by experimental science. Its early and most popular proponents include John Locke and David Hume (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017).. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Rationalism is an epistemological view in which the main source and test of knowledge is the reason; any view that appeals to reason is a source of justification or knowledge. It entails basing actions and opinions on reason instead of an emotional perspective or religious beliefs (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017). Skepticism is a philosophy underpinned by doubt and a questioning attitude towards a single or more item of dogma, putative knowledge, or belief. Skepticism is usually directed at existing domains such as morality, the supernatural, theism, or knowledge (Thomas, 2013). Pragmatism is a philosophical principle that considers thought and words as instruments and tools for prediction, action, and problem-solving; it rejects the construct that the role of thought is to represent, describe, or even mirror the reality. According to this philosophy, most topics touching on philosophy, such as concepts, knowledge, language, science, belief, and meaning are all best viewed in the context of their success and practical uses. Major proponents include John Dewey and Charles Peirce (Ralston, 2013; Thomas, 2013). These philosophical principles affect how people think and greatly influence belief, and the author describes the particular principle that aligns most with his thought the most in the next sections. The strengths, as well as weaknesses of the authors’ predominant thinking pattern, is also discussed before this treatise is concluded.
Authors’ Thought Patterns
I am usually a stepwise thinker; in nature, I am more of a thinker than a doer, and so I love to think about things, situations, and issues and analyze them deeply before coming to my conclusions. In my thinking and analysis of issues and situations, I base my views and even arguments on logic, even on matters that touch on emotion, such as issues like love and commitment. I consider myself an intellectual, and I like to have or state a clear position. Further, I prefer people saying the truth, or things as they are and I detest dishonesty. I also have a pervasive dislike for outside interferences, even though I like to grasp and internalize new knowledge and points of view, even though I don’t let them change my currently held position easily. I always have a burning desire for knowledge; however, this knowledge must be truthful and beneficial in some way, either to myself or the society/ humanity at large. I believe there is a specific natural order to things and to life. Even where there appears to be chaos and randomness, there is an underlying order of things. I believe that in all our undertakings, there must be justice, ethics, and logic. For instance, being in a relationship should be a logical and truthful pursuit at first, before love can come in, and not the other way round.
I am also a deep believer in numbers and numerology, including the importance of numbers and dates in one’s life. Numbers excite me. For example, if asked to choose between 5 and 8, I will select 5 since I associate it with mystical things, like the number of fingers on one’s hand and that it is a sum of 2 and 3. Based on this brief self-evaluation of thought patterns and having had familiarized myself with philosophical theories, I do conclude that my thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions are heavily leaning towards Rationalism. As per the definition of rationalism, I also believe in rational principles that exist in most things, such as mathematics, logic, metaphysics, and ethics. For instance, I believe a person must always act ethically because logically, it reduces the chances of legal ramifications or a loss.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Rationalism
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| It posits that there is a reason behind every object or phenomenon and its existence, and this holds. For instance, in the law of gravity, when an object is thrown into the air, it comes back down because there is a logical principle underlying it, and not because it has been observed by many people. | Rationalism posits that individuals are born with some innate ideas and truths in particular subject areas, for instance, arts, or sport, and form part of an individuals’ rational nature; s such, individuals only have to bring these to the surface rather than learn them through experience. However, this can sometimes be proven because, in life, there are ‘idiots’ that cannot understand even simple notions and this contradicts the universality of ideas being innate |
| Rationalism seeks to identify and explain principles that already exist in nature, for instance, why water settles at the lowest level. These principles are independent of the knowledge or every individual, and so are universal truths. | Logic, laws, and principles that describe the world are not necessarily infallible because they may be premised on human misconceptions. This is proven by scientists conducting experiments (Thomas, 2013). |
| Rationalism is the foundation of science and math and helps explain the universal truths and phenomena around human beings, for instance, the behavior of light, magnets, or particles. | |
| Rationalism appeals to reason, and the reason is the foundation of stable political systems and scientific principles and theories (Thomas, 2013). |
Conclusion
Philosophical theories are sets of beliefs that account for or explains a general philosophy branch. There various philosophical constructs, the main ones being Empiricism, Rationalism, Skepticism, and Pragmatism. They influence how people perceive things. The authors’ thoughts are more inclined towards the philosophy of rationalism, which seeks truth through logic, even though rationalism has some pitfalls.
References
Ralston, S. (2013). Philosophical pragmatism and international relations (1st ed., pp. 37-41). Plymouth, UK: Lexington Books.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2017). Rationalism vs. Empiricism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved 27 February 2020, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationalism-empiricism/
Thomas, J. (2013). The Minds of the Moderns (1st ed., pp. 22-31). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.