The factual question is as follows:
"All knowledge comes from the senses" is a quote pertaining to which philosophy?
Empiricism
The discussion question is as follows:
Do you believe that knowledge stems from experience or that some ideas are innate?
As William James said (and as is referenced in a cartoon on my office door, should you ever have reason to darken it): You can learn a lot from a squirrel.
ReplyDelete(Don't know about squarills.)
I would like to add that I really enjoyed our squirrel watching/discussion. It was very insightful.
ReplyDeleteAs for the topic of the origin of knowledge, I believe that most of what we know, we gather from experience. I do think that some ideas are innate. Perhaps these ideas should be called instinct, though. When we are first introduced to the world, we already have knowledge of how to cry and to feed. But even as one matures, one can still follow his or her instincts/intuition/gut-feeling. But maybe this "gut-feeling" isn't innately present. Perhaps it develops with experience as well.
I like squarills.
ReplyDeleteI feel that all knowledge and ideas form through experience, no matter how little experience it requires to obtain them. A baby's ability to cry or feed, as Lacey pointed out, are innate processes that I wouldn't call knowledge. Also, when the Fight-or-Flight response occurs in an individual, that person doesn't have to use knowledge to prepare the body to fight or run, the body just does it. On the other hand, I think in order to recognize a threat so that the body will go into Fight-or-Flight mode, we must have some developed idea about fear or danger.
But were we the ones watching the squarills or were they watching us...? O.o
ReplyDeleteI think that there are things we are born with the potential to develop and thus "know" certain things, but there's no notion or deep-seated ideas that we're just born knowing. (I'm taking out bodily functions such as breathing out of the equation of "knowing" - I think such things are entirely separate from your intellect.)
For instance, we're all born with the potential to develop language and speak (which practically all humans end up doing); it's an intellectual skill that gains momentum as the brain develops and grows (as opposed to breathing whose process doesn't really change from the time you're born). As such, we're all born with the potential to question our surroundings, why we're on this planet, how the planet came to be, etc. How this potential develops into conveyable ideas is where experience comes in - experience molds that potential into ideas that fit each individual person differently.
Emotions, though, are difficult to place into either of those categories. Do we feel emotions from birth (and are thus born with the innate concepts of fear, happiness, love, jealousy, etc.), or do we learn emotions through our interactions with others (and thus our experiences)? I would lean more towards learning them through our interactions with others, but I wouldn't be opposed to hearing evidence to the contrary.