The Precondition for Empiricism

Introduction

Materialism and empiricism are related: What one knows (materialism) would determine how one knows (empiricism); also, how one knows (empiricism) would determine what one knows (materialism). We will exam the precondition for empiricism and also demonstrate how materialism and empiricism undermine the foundation for empiricism.

Analogy

A way to think about what was stated in the introduction is this: There was once an adamant fisherman who declared that "What I catch with my net is fish". The net determines what is fish yet, it is for fish that the net was made to catch. If one is observant, one would realize that there is a relationship between empiricism and materialism.

Empiricism assumes forthright at least these things to be true:

1. 1.) Your mind exists.
2. 2.) Existence of and the reliability of your sense.
3. 3.) Things outside your consciousness/mind exist
4. 4.) Laws of identity
5. 5.) Senses have a function

I. Inability of Materialism/empiricism to account for your mind

-Have you tasted, touch, seen with your eyes, smelled or heard with your eyes the existence of your mind?

* In light of empiricism you do not know if you have a mind.

* In light of materialism the mind does not exist.

II. Inability of Materialsim/empiricism to account for the reliability of your senses

-Have you seen, tasted, touch, smelled or heard your senses (see, taste, touch, smell, hearing).

^Have you seen with your own eyes that your eyes is seeing things, etc?

^Do not let people shift to another sense without proving it

*In light of empiricism, you do not know if you have sensation

*In light of empiricism you do not know if your senses are reliable

*In light of materialism, your senses are itself immaterial and does not exist.

*In light of empiricism, you do not even know the reliability of your senses itself.

III. Inability of Materialism/empiricism to account for function and other abstract concept as well

-The link with Tabula Rasa and Empiricism

-In order to 'abstract' or describe function, you presuppose immaterial things and it is itself immaterial.

^For instance, function is not material by nature and also presupposes purpose, which is immaterial.

- The very concept of concept is immaterial and does not even symbolize something that is material or act as a function of something that is material.

Partial List of Things Unaccounted For

Definition, freedom, logic, causality, identity, induction, deduction, reasoning, inferences, ideas, abstraction, universals, color, intention, mind, choice, consciousness, test, conclusion, premises, rule, likely, information, knowledge, hypothesis, etc.

*In light of empiricism, you do not know any functions, abstractions and symbols.

*In light of materialism, functions, abstractions and symbols do not exist.

By Jimmy Li