ScienceAugust 25, 2026
empiricism
em-PIR-ih-siz-um
Definition
The philosophical reliance on raw experience, sensory evidence, or observation as the primary source of knowledge, rather than reliance on abstract theory or intuition.
Etymology
Derived from the Greek word 'empeiria,' meaning 'experience.' It entered English in the 17th century to describe the doctrine that all knowledge comes from sense experience.
In the news
The article states that research competence empowers special education teachers to move beyond mere empiricism, meaning they should transition from relying solely on trial-and-error observations to using systematic, evidence-based practices.
Validity testing of the Research Competence Scale for special education school teachers: an empirical study from China
Read the full article ↗Frontiers