The first thing that occurred to me whilst listening to Chris's description of empiricism was my old teacher from junior school. I always knew Mrs Rendal was an empress within the land of her classroom, but I never knew she was an empiricist. In fact she had encouraged me to think empirically from the tender age of ten years old.
She said: "Never take anything anyone says as fact. Always question them, and make sure they can prove it."
In essence this is what the ideology of empiricism is all about. The notion that evidence is everything. To never succumb to blind faith and assertions. That seeing is believing.
Empiricism has lead to a highly sophisticated technological advance. Particularly in science.
I read recently about studies at the University of Texas and the University of Bath that scientists specializing in genes had created headless mice and headless tadpoles. This is a dangerous discovery. I mean, take the mouse-frog technology, apply it to humans, combine it with cloning, and become a god. With a single cell you could produce a headless replica of yourself! A sort of mutant twin, arguably lifeless, that becomes your own personal organ farm. Dangerous stuff. But certainly highlights the extent of the search for fact and evidence of how our bodies work, how we are created and what we are made of.
Speaking about how we are created, everyone is talking about the 'baby face baby maker' Alfie Patten and his want of a DNA test to empirically prove he is the biological father. What I want empirically proven is how he managed to get fuel in the engine to produce human life at that age?! Pretty sure there was no lead in my pencil...
From what I gathered 'a priori' is knowledge independent of evidence or experience. Something that can't really be proven either way. The classic example of this is the hysterical view of David Icke that the world is run by super intelligent lizards. No evidence will defeat this view. In fact, the nutjob might have a point, there are certainly plenty of slimey characters about!
Now I am sure poor old Mrs Rendal regretted saying the empiricist stuff to me as I took her words very literally.
"Miss, how can you prove that Christopher Columbus discovered America?"
"Its written in books Chris."
"Can you show me these books?"
"We only have this cartoon version of the events."
"But you said everything should be proven."
"Shut up and get out Chris."
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