The British empiricists

The British empiricists were philosophers in the 17th and 18th centuries who focused on the role of sensory experience in the formation of knowledge. Key figures include John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume. They argued that all knowledge comes from what we perceive through our senses, rather than from innate ideas or rational deductions. This contrasted with rationalism, which emphasized reason as the primary source of knowledge. British empiricists laid the groundwork for modern scientific methods by emphasizing observation and experimentation as vital to understanding the world. Their ideas significantly influenced later philosophical and scientific thought.