Empiricism
Section 1:
Empiricism is the theory that experience is of primary importance in giving us knowledge of the world. Whatever we learn in this world, we learn through perception using our senses, according to empiricists. Knowledge without experience with the possible exception of trivial semantic and logic truths, is impossible (‘theory of knowledge’). It is often opposed to with rationalism which is knowledge is attributed to reason independently from the senses. (Galvin, 2012) The tabula rasa or idea of the mind being a blank tablet as the independent observer is completely passive and should not attempt to influence the delivery of data first came from Aristotle (Galvin, 2012). Empirical methods reports the results of a study that uses data derived from actual observation or experiment used in ‘fields to allow testing’ and can be a substitute of anything that can allow theory to emerge from data (Cahill, 2012). There are two commonly known ways of collecting data which is
1. quantifying which is using numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers
2. qualitatively is exploring issues that raise questions that can be answered by a verbal analysis as they cannot be measured or do not require measurement (‘explorable.com’)
The article that will be contextualized in this essay is the Ward et al. (2007) paper which is ‘Living and working in an urban class communities’. The paper interviews 141 carers with at least one dependent child in three contrasting areas in London and Manchester with the main focus on Wythenshawe. There are many authors in the creation of this journal who have their own individual contribution as well as collective input using other references. Kevin Ward is a political economist in Human Geography in Manchester, with interests in urban politics and policy (‘Manchester academic’). Collette Fagan is a research director of Social Science in Manchester University (Manchester academic’). Linda McDowell is a Professor of Human
Empiricism is the theory that experience is of primary importance in giving us knowledge of the world. Whatever we learn in this world, we learn through perception using our senses, according to empiricists. Knowledge without experience with the possible exception of trivial semantic and logic truths, is impossible (‘theory of knowledge’). It is often opposed to with rationalism which is knowledge is attributed to reason independently from the senses. (Galvin, 2012) The tabula rasa or idea of the mind being a blank tablet as the independent observer is completely passive and should not attempt to influence the delivery of data first came from Aristotle (Galvin, 2012). Empirical methods reports the results of a study that uses data derived from actual observation or experiment used in ‘fields to allow testing’ and can be a substitute of anything that can allow theory to emerge from data (Cahill, 2012). There are two commonly known ways of collecting data which is
1. quantifying which is using numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers
2. qualitatively is exploring issues that raise questions that can be answered by a verbal analysis as they cannot be measured or do not require measurement (‘explorable.com’)
The article that will be contextualized in this essay is the Ward et al. (2007) paper which is ‘Living and working in an urban class communities’. The paper interviews 141 carers with at least one dependent child in three contrasting areas in London and Manchester with the main focus on Wythenshawe. There are many authors in the creation of this journal who have their own individual contribution as well as collective input using other references. Kevin Ward is a political economist in Human Geography in Manchester, with interests in urban politics and policy (‘Manchester academic’). Collette Fagan is a research director of Social Science in Manchester University (Manchester academic’). Linda McDowell is a Professor of Human
Bibliography: Kim, V.L., (1993), Suburban Pink Collar Ghettos; The Spatial Entrapment of Women, 83 (2), pp. 225-242. McDowell, Linda., (2012), School of Geography and the Environment; Staff profiles [online], University of Oxford, (http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/staff/lmcdowell.html ‘’), Accessed on 31 October 2012. Qualitative Research International (2012) What is Qualitative Research? [online] (‘http://www.qsrinternational.com/what-is-qualitative-research.aspx’) Accessed 31 October 2012. Ward et al., (2007), Living and working in urban working class communities, 38 (1), pp. 312-325. Section 2: Potito, A., (2012), Department of Geography: Biogeography 2012/2013, [online], National University of Ireland Galway, (‘http://www.nuigalway.ie/geography/undergrad/ti235.html’) Accessed 31 October 2012 Rosen, B.R., (1992), Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology and Palaeocology; Empiricism and the biogeographical black box: concepts and methods in marine palaeobiogeography, Science Direct, 92 (3-4) pp.171-205.