Chapter 12


Theories concerning the origin of knowledge

 1. Fill in the blanks:

(a) Empiricists believe that  experience  is the source of knowledge.  

(b) According to intellectuals,    intelligence    is the source of knowledge.

(c) Descartes is an  intellectual  philosopher.  

(d) Berkeley is an  empiricist  philosopher.  

(e) According to Locke, at birth our mind   is like  an unwritten piece of paper  .

(f) The inevitable consequence of experienced medicine is  sensationalism   and  skepticism .    

(g) According to Buddhism, the role of the mind in the production of knowledge  is passive  .   

(h) The phrase 'existence is directly dependent'   is found in   Berkeley 's philosophy. 

2. Define:

(a) Intellectualism
Answer: According to Buddhism, the source of true knowledge is intelligence. Intelligence is the primary means of attaining true knowledge.

(b) Empiricism
Answer: According to empiricism, ignorance is the only source of knowledge. All our knowledge is derived from the sense perceiver.

(c) Endogenous concepts
Answer: According to intellectual philosophers, intelligence gives us certain intuitive ideas. These concepts are empirical, self-evident and certain in nature.

(d) experiential knowledge
Answer: Knowledge that is clearly in the mind of a person before experience, knowledge that does not arise from experience.

(e) Experiential knowledge
Answer: Knowledge that arises from sense direct or experience is called experiential knowledge.

3. Determine the difference.

(a) Intellectualism and empiricism

Answer: According to Buddhism, intelligence is the primary source of knowledge, but according to empiricism, experience is the only source of knowledge.

According to intellectuals, the role of the mind in the production of knowledge is passive, but according to empiricism, the mind is active in the production of knowledge.

According to Buddhism, the concepts of the mind are experiential intuitions, but according to empiricism, the concepts of the mind are experiential.

(b) Experiential knowledge and experiential knowledge

Answer:  Experiential knowledge arises in the mind of a person before he gains experience. Experiential knowledge arises from sense experience.

Intellectuals believe in experiential knowledge, empiricists believe in experiential knowledge.

4. Write a brief:

(a) Intellectualism
Answer:  According to Buddhism, the source of true knowledge is intelligence. Intelligence is the primary means of attaining true knowledge. Intellectual philosophers believe that knowledge gained through the senses is incomplete and uncertain. Knowledge gained through sense perception is knowledge of the external form of objects, not knowledge of the internal form of objects.

(b) Empiricism
Answer: According to empiricism, ignorance is the only source of knowledge. All our knowledge is derived from the sense perceiver. Therefore, sensory experience is the only source of knowledge . This doctrine was first introduced by the Greek atomists and sophists in ancient times. They believe that knowledge comes from experience. According to the Sophists, a person's experience is the criterion for judging truth and falsehood. 

(c) Existence is directly dependent
George Berkeley is also an empirical philosopher. He also believed that experience or direct experience was the only source of knowledge . Only that which is perceived exists. The existence of things is directly dependent. In other words, what cannot be seen cannot exist. According to Berkeley, the mind cannot exist. According to Berkeley, the direct cannot exist without the existence of the mind. He believed that only perceptual knowledge is obtained through direct perception and that since perception is a matter of the mind, only the mind exists. Berkeley denied the existence of an independent entity of matter as the basis of quality other than the mind.

(d) Endogenous concepts
Answer:  According to intellectual philosophers, intelligence gives us certain intuitive ideas. These concepts are empirical, self-evident and certain in nature. These concepts are called internal concepts because they arise spontaneously in the mind.

5. Answer:

(a) Name two intellectual Greek philosophers.

Answer:  Two intellectual Greek philosophers are Descartes and Spinoza.

(b) Name three modern intellectual philosophers.

Answer:  Three modern intellectual philosophers are Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz.

(c) Who was the first to introduce the theory of empiricism?

Answer:  The doctrine of empiricism was first introduced by the Greek atomists and sophists.

(d) Name three empirical philosophers. 

Answer:  Three empirical philosophers are John Locke, Berkeley and Hume.

(e) Why is Hume called an extreme empiricist philosopher?

Hume is called the extreme empiricist in Western philosophy because of his adherence to experience as the source of knowledge .

(f) Why is Hume called a skeptical philosopher?

Answer: According to Hume, there is no universal and inevitable truth. No knowledge is guaranteed. All knowledge is possible. That is why Hume is called a skeptical philosopher.

(g) Who is considered the father of modern Western philosophy?

Descartes is considered the father of modern Western philosophy . 

(h) Who said that 'the mind of man is like an unwritten piece of paper at birth'? What is the conclusion expressed?

Answer:  Locke said that 'at birth the human mind is like an unwritten piece of paper'

(i) Whose saying is 'Nothing that is not previously in the senses can be in the intellect'? To which theory of the origin of knowledge does he belong?

Answer:  'Nothing that is not previously in the senses can be in the intellect' is the saying of John Locke. He is associated with the doctrine of empiricism.

(j) What is the endogenous concept? Which theory of the origin of knowledge is related to the theory of intrinsic concepts?

Answer: The ideas that God plants in our minds at birth are called innate ideas. These concepts are called internal concepts because they arise spontaneously in the mind.
    Endogenous concepts are experiential concepts. These are self-evident and certain concepts. Therefore, these concepts will be the same in the minds of all people and cannot change under any circumstances. These concepts are dormant at birth. It is through the intellect that the knowledge of true knowledge arises from these concepts .

6. What arguments does Locke use to refute intuitive ideas?

Answer: Locke's arguments are: 

(1) If intuition really exists, it must be in the mind of every human being. But children, ignorant, uneducated people, etc. do not have these ideas. They are not aware of the concepts of causation, infinity, eternity, and the sovereignty of God.
(2) If intrinsic concepts actually exist, then everyone must agree on these concepts. However, there are differences of opinion among people about concepts such as God's moral laws.
(3) Again, some ideas may not be inherent even if they are equally present in everyone's mind. For example, everyone has the same idea about fire, heat, the sun, etc. But these ideas are not innate.

7. Discuss the theory of intellectualism as a theory of the origin of knowledge.

Answer: According to Buddhism, the source of true knowledge is intelligence. Intelligence is the primary means of attaining true knowledge. Intellectual philosophers reject external experience and say that intelligence is the source of true knowledge.

8. Discuss the theory of empiricism as a theory of the origin of knowledge.

Answer: According to empiricism, experience is the only source of knowledge. By the term experience, empirical philosophers refer to knowledge gained through sense perception. All our knowledge is derived from sense experience. Therefore, sense experience is the only source of knowledge.

    This theory was first introduced by the Greek atomists and sophists in ancient times. They believe that knowledge comes from experience. According to the Sophists, one's experience is the criterion for true judgment.