• Philosophy -> Epistemology and Theory of Knowledge

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How does constructivism differ from other theories of knowledge such as empiricism and rationalism?

Stan Rettie

Constructivism, empiricism, and rationalism are all big words that talk about how we know things. Let me explain it in a simple way.

Empiricism says that we learn by experience. That means our senses like hearing, seeing, touching, and tasting help us to understand things. For example, if you touch a hot stove, you learn not to touch it again because it hurts.

Rationalism, on the other hand, believes that we learn by our own thoughts and reasoning. We can use our minds to understand things, even without experiencing them ourselves. For example, if someone tells you that water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, you can understand it without having to feel it yourself.

Now let's talk about constructivism. Constructivism believes that knowledge is not something that we discover, but something that we create. It says that we cannot learn something completely on our own or with just our senses. Instead, we build our understanding based on our personal experiences and what we already know.

For example, if you see a bird for the first time, you might not know what kind of bird it is. But if someone tells you that it's a blue jay and shows you a picture, you can create a mental image of what a blue jay looks like. Then, if you see another blue jay in the future, you will know that it is a blue jay because you have created that knowledge in your mind.

In short, constructivism is different from empiricism and rationalism because it believes that we create knowledge through our experiences and our personal understanding, rather than just discovering it through our senses or reasoning.