Rationalism and empiricism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rationalism and empiricism - Essay Example On the contrary, justification involves development of knowledge through acquaintance. Epistemology compartmentalize synthesis and evolution of knowledge into five groups namely; empiricism, rationalism, idealism, constructivism and historical (Lawhead 23). Conventionally, there is a substantial conflict between empiricism and rationalism. In this essay, succeeding sections will discuss in detail about fundamental concepts of both empiricism and rationalism. Prior to dissecting the two knowledge generation models of empiricism and rationalism, it is appropriate to acknowledge the two concepts of priori and posteriori knowledge. Basically, the Latin term ‘priori’ means before while ‘posteriori’ means after. Therefore, priori knowledge refers to any type of knowledge synthesized without relation to observations or experience. Knowledge derived from logical inferences, for example 2 + 2 = 4, is priori in form. This means that any subsequent observation or experience cannot alter the outcome of knowledge. On the contrary, posteriori knowledge is synthesized only after consideration to relevant observations or experiences. Nowadays, posteriori knowledge is popularly referred to as empirical knowledge (Lawhead 42). Proponents of posteriori knowledge assert that no knowledge can be developed prior to consideration of underlying observation or experience. Therefore, priori knowledge is arrived at through reasoning, whi le posteriori knowledge is synthesized from facts generated from empirical activities. At this juncture, it becomes evident that rationalism conforms to principles of priori knowledge. On the contrary, empiricism has close synchronization with the principles of posteriori knowledge. Technically, rationalism involves development of knowledge through innate intelligence and deductive reasoning. Pythagoras, who features as the father of rationalism, asserts that every man has an inherent ability to reason.