Rationalism vs. Empiricism: The Source of Knowledge

The Origin of Knowledge: Rationalism and Empiricism

When philosophers agreed that knowledge was possible, another controversy arose that has spanned the modern and contemporary eras. What is the origin of that knowledge? Where does the certainty from which to build the edifice of knowledge come from? Basically, there have been two approaches:

• Rationalists believe that the only reliable source of knowledge is the very process of reasoning and logic.
• Empiricists assert that all knowledge is based on information obtained through the senses.

Rationalism

Descartes is considered the father of rationalism. Other followers of this doctrine are Spinoza and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Rationalism defends the following theses:

1. Geometry as a Model of Knowledge: Geometry is the authentic model of knowledge. From a few axioms, and using deductive reasoning and logical laws, a set of theorems can be derived. For rationalist philosophers, all knowledge must follow this model.
2. Distrust of the Senses: Rationalism distrusts the information from the senses and the world. In contrast, the successes of geometry show that deductive reasoning can establish and expand knowledge. For Descartes, the senses are unable to show reality as it is, using wax as an example. When looking at or touching the material, sight and touch perceive colors and textures. When the wax is on fire, the texture and colors disappear, meaning that they were qualities that were not part of its nature. However, one thing remains unchanged: the extension, the fact of occupying space and having length, width, and depth. Mathematical science allows us to escape from the deceptions of the senses to see things exactly as they are.
3. Innate Ideas: There are ideas in our minds that are innate. All human beings are born with them, and therefore, they do not result from knowledge of the outside world. For example, the idea of infinity or the idea of God are ideas that cannot be obtained from any information from the senses. This conception, as Descartes argued, was widely criticized because it would mean a baby should have a clear and evident idea at birth. Leibniz tried to explain this problem. In other words, innate ideas are already in our minds at birth but must be developed throughout life and experience to reach their full potential.