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Rationalism
The mind or intellect or reason alone, rather than the senses, is the only or main
sources of knowledge.
Founder: Descartes father of modern philosophy and scientific reasoning.
Mostly mathematician.
3. Scientism
The belief that the methods of the natural sciences are applicable in all inquiry,
especially in human and social sciences.
Scientific description of reality is the only truth there is. With the advances of
science, there has been a tendency to slip into scientism and assume that any claim
can be authenticated if the term scientific is used to describe it.
The belief that science is the only method for obtaining knowledge. The
unwarranted idolization of science as the sole authority of truth and source of
knowledge.
The slavish imitation of the method and language of natural science, especially by
social scientists.
4. Scepticism
5. Phenomenalism
If I look at an object, the object as experienced by me is a phenomenon (appearance).
The object as it is in itself is called noumenon (reality).
Empiricist theory of human knowledge: all that we know about the external world
are data conveyed to us by sense-experience. So, we can only know the
phenomenon or appearance of a thing. We cannot know thing as it is, or the
reality of a thing.
Example:
1. A table appears to be solid. In reality it is in state of continuous flux. The lifeduration of a table does not last two atoms of time because they are constantly
perishing (fana). The reality of a particular existent (table, man etc) is perceived as
enduring (sentiasa ada), because of Gods continuous dynamic and constant
activity of re-creating, not the same but a similar thing after its every
annihilation (fana).
2. An atom appears to be solid. In reality, is it really solid?
3. In science, we can only know what appears to us, what we can observe.
The thing as it is, the reality of the thing, we cannot know.
Denial of the existence of minds, spirits, divine being, ghosts etc (non-material).
Thought, feeling and wishes (other mental phenomena) states and processes of the
body (nervous system or the brain). The mind is also material.
The modern version is often called physicalism.
8. Idealism
The view that mind is the ultimate reality of the world.
Everything that exists is not material but mental.
9. Theories of truth in western philosophy
Correspondence theory
True beliefs correspond to the facts.
A true belief is that the belief corresponds to reality. A false belief is that the
belief fails to correspond to reality.
Example: True belief: This is a car.
Coherence theory
A true belief is that the belief coheres with, or ties in with other beliefs.
Group coherence theory: A belief is true to if it fits in with the collective beliefs
of the group.
Example: Skirt in TV3: True belief because it fits in with the collective beliefs of
the TV3. Wearing bikinis in a swimming pool in a hotel.
Pragmatic theory
True beliefs are those which work or useful, if accepting it bring success.
Politics: Mahathir Vs Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir Vs Abdullah Badawi.
Business: Islamic Banking System practice by CitiBank
A way of getting people to re-examine what they think they already know.