empiricism - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

em·pir·i·cism

Audio Help [em-pir-uh-siz-uh

m] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	empirical method or practice.

2.	Philosophy. the doctrine that all knowledge is derived from sense experience. Compare rationalism (def. 2).

3.	undue reliance upon experience, as in medicine; quackery.

4.	an empirical conclusion.

[Origin: 1650–60; empiric + -ism

]

—Related forms

em·pir·i·cist, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
empiricism

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

em·pir·i·cism Audio Help (ěm-pîr'ĭ-sĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.

The view that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge.
1. Employment of empirical methods, as in science.
2. An empirical conclusion.
The practice of medicine that disregards scientific theory and relies solely on practical experience.

em·pir'i·cist n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

empiricism
noun
1.	(philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience
2.	the application of empirical methods in any art or science
3.	medical practice and advice based on observation and experience in ignorance of scientific findings [syn: quackery]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Empiricism

Em*pir"i*cism\, n. 1. The method or practice of an empiric; pursuit of knowledge by observation and experiment.

2. Specifically, a practice of medicine founded on mere experience, without the aid of science or a knowledge of principles; ignorant and unscientific practice; charlatanry; quackery.

3. (Metaph.) The philosophical theory which attributes the origin of all our knowledge to experience.

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