Empiricism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Empiricism - Essay Example Recent philosophical knowledge has often argued that man’s senses can often fail to gain true knowledge. This is manifested in the film Matrix, when the story’s main character, Neo, realized that what he perceived to be real is actually not real. The world he has thought to live is actually a computer simulation program that has set to make an illusion of man’s existence. Hence, in this case, if we are to gain true knowledge through sensory experiences, yet our senses can fail us, then how are we to achieve true knowledge? According to Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (p. 728), our senses inform us of the color, weight, and consistence of bread. It is through these very senses that man have come to know the world around him, and all the things in it. This is the basic premise of empiricism, which states that: †¦a theory of knowledge, which emphasizes those aspects of scientific knowledge that are closely related to experience, especially formed through deliberate experimental arrangements (Wikipedia, 2006). Everything that man learns is the product of his experience. David Hume regarded lively and strong as experiences and perceptions. On the other hand, he defined less lively events as beliefs or thoughts. This could explain the fact that people have learned to define and appreciate the very essence of love, happiness, sadness, and loneliness. Love and happiness are often associated with events that thrill and excite people with someone very close of meaningful for them such as experiences related to one’s first kiss, marriage proposal, giving birth, and the like. On the other hand, sadness and loneliness are usually related to experiences such as unattained goals and aspirations, fight and arguments, sickness, and even death. It is no doubt that children would easily recognize the definition of sadness