Empiricism

EDSA700: Unit 4
Empiricism: An introduction
• The philosophy of Empiricism encourages a fact-seeking and
analytical approach to all human endeavour, including
education
• It emphasises that facts can be proven by experience and
that facts can be precisely defined and measured
• In South African, certain concepts of the philosophy of
Empiricism were manipulated in the so-called philosophy of
education at the beginning of the 21st century
• Do you know why and how?
What is Empiricism?
• Empiricism means ‘experience-ism’: what we have personally
experienced through our five senses
• It is practical philosophy: things have to be known and proven
• We are born ‘blank slates’ (Tabula Rasa): parents and teachers
make us informed as we develop
• There would be more focus on science and scientific subjects
than art or literature
• Modern science is based on the empirical belief that the truth of
something is based on whether it can be proven: we have to be able
to confirm it through experience, measurement and testing
• It encourages critical thinking: focuses on facts
• Empiricism is context-free and believes that all human beings are
capable of pursuing the truth
What is a fact according to Empiricism?
• We live in a world of facts which we acquire through the process
of experience and the assessment of whether it is a fact
• There are two categories of facts:
Facts that are true by definition Facts that can be proven to be true
2+2=4 The earth is a planet
It is dead or alive A square has four corners
It is round or square The temperature today is 28 degrees
It is dry or wet Mars is a planet
It is an apple or a pear The earth is round
A spinster is not married Mary passed the examination
Education and Empiricism
• In education, teaching and learning can only take place in those
subjects that provide us with ‘real knowledge’: mathematics, the
sciences and engineering
• Art, literature and music are seen as only providing us with
expressions of values: they are subjective
• Empiricism claims that facts and scientific truths are universally
applicable – they are not context specific
• Education in itself needs to be defined so that the aims and
goals can be stated and made applicable to all

What are your thoughts around more scientific subjects being

regarded as ‘real knowledge’ whilst non-scientific ones are not
regarded as ‘real knowledge’? (To be discussed)
Four thought leaders in Empiricism
• John Locke (1632-1704), a British philosopher suggested that
oExperience through five senses is important
oFocus on scientific subjects that encourage reason clearly and
logically is important
oChildren are born blank slates and parents and teachers are
important in their learning development
oChildren learn through the art of reflection: from simple to more
complex ideas
oChildren need to be taught to think critically
• Richard Peters (1919-2011), a British philosopher placed
emphasis on the definition of education
• It is important to develop critical thinking in children so that they
cannot be indoctrinated by false truths…Any thoughts on this?
• Yusef Waghid, a South African philosopher, places emphasis on
the definitions of education, namely:
oHow do we define education?
oHow do we define schooling?
oAre education and schooling the same thing?
oWhat are the aims of education?
oWhat are the aims of schooling?
• Harvey Siegel, a philosopher from the USA, believes that the
teacher must empower the learner to be rational: base ideas on
empirical evidence
• Critical thinking is important
• Sound judgement is based on evidence and facts (not opinion)
• Learners will be active in their education and will not allow
themselves to be manipulated
Empiricism and education in South Africa
• Teachers can sometimes place too much emphasis on objective
testing
• Biggest concern is what was put forward in Outcomes based
education
• The emphasis on rationality may ignore emotions, values and
culture
• This could result in a ‘lopsided’ education system

What were the advantages and disadvantages of OBE?

Questions for discussion
• Has Empiricism influenced education?
• Has Empiricism influenced teaching?
• What can Empiricism help us to achieve in education?
• What red flags are there about Empiricism and its views on
education?

• To be discussed in next live session.

Pragmatism
• Empiricism’s ‘little brother’ is Pragmatism
• This means ‘practical-ism’
• It suggests a common-sense approach to life, and that truth is
sought and found in everyday experience
• Truth is found by a community of human beings working together
in the real world. Inquiry is down-to-earth and practical because
new problems keep on surfacing and need to be solved in
practical ways
• Its about finding out what works and what doesn’t