PHIL 1000, Introduction to Philosophy (HU)
Credit Hours: 3.0
Course Description: This introductory survey of philosophy examines the historical development of Western philosophy and philosophical problems concerning truth, reality, & values. The course introduces philosophical methods of inquiry and argumentation.
Signature Assignment
My instructor assigned the class to write a 2-3 page essay on a critical analysis of empiricism and rationalism. In the paper, I was asked to describe at least two major differences between the basic principles of rationalism and the basic principles of empiricism. I was also asked to pick a rationalist and an empiricist that was discussed in class and contrast their philosophies. I chose this assignment for my ePortfolio because it was one of the best works that I have done in the class and I learned a significant amount of information.
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Paper Assignment 2 (Empiricism and Rationalism).doc Size : 29.5 Kb Type : doc |
Reflection
After I have written the essay, I learned that rationalism and empiricism both have to deal with the source of knowledge and ideas. Rationalism relies on reason, and it was said that reason was the ultimate source of knowledge, superior to the senses. Empiricism, on the other hand, relies on the senses and that all ideas can be traced back to sense data. Both Descartes and Locke were able to get their points across on the source of knowledge and ideas, but they were unable to move from direct knowledge of their ideas to direct knowledge of external reality.
I have learned that this assignment demonstrates my learning in all the SLCC learning goals. It helped me to make connections between two or more things and present the ideas and connections in writing. I learned that this assignment has also helped me to gather and analyze information and organize the information into an essay.
