The etymology of empirical refers to the Latin empirĭcus , which in turn derives from the Greek empirikós . The notion refers to what is related to experience .
Experience is understood, meanwhile, as the fact of knowing or knowing something due to situations already experienced . Experience is acquired through practice and experimentation .
The empirical, in short, is based on experience. This type of knowledge arises from sensory perception that allows reality to be recorded.
The philosophy focused on the role of experience when learning is known as empiricism . For empiricism, experience is the starting point to generate knowledge. The empirical, in this framework, is used for the development of concepts (which are justified according to what is perceived with the senses).
The idea of empirical logic , on the other hand, refers to the support of the so-called empirical method . According to this logic , the observation of the links between what is perceived and its relative variations constitutes the basis for the establishment of the laws of knowledge.
In this way, the empirical method resorts to empirical logic and experimentation for the production of knowledge. Its objective is to discover the most important features and key relationships of the object of study, accessing them through the senses .
The empirical method is factual (it focuses on events), demonstrates its hypotheses by contrasting them with perception and accepts the progressive construction of knowledge. This means that, with the empirical method, conclusions that are considered infallible and immutable are not postulated.
Another of the fundamental characteristics of the empirical method is that it is based on the verification of said facts to test the proposed hypotheses, contrasting them meticulously through perception; This is opposed to using reasoning alone to estimate potential outcomes based on prior knowledge.
Unlike phenomenology, the empirical method allows for self-correction and progress. Phenomenology is dedicated to studying the world with a philosophical perspective focused on the stimuli that after manifesting themselves are imprinted on consciousness, that is, it experiences the world in a subjective way.
After each error, the empirical method allows the search for a solution and the construction of better conclusions from this new learning. With the aim of getting closer to the truth, it is open to incorporating new knowledge at every step, never considering it final or infallible. To implement this method, it is necessary to take samples, that is, groups of values that can be used to study a given problem.
The sample can be a group of individuals or cases within a population, and must accurately represent it. To obtain it, an effective technique must be developed that can reliably yield useful random results.
Of the various formalizations of the steps that the empirical method follows, we can highlight the conventional form and the formulation of Neil J. Salkind . The first begins when the problem is identified, to give rise to the investigation. The hypothesis is then formulated, which must be subjected to a procedure to test it, and it is from this step that the results emerge.
With respect to Salkind's formulation, the problem is formulated, then the relevant factors are identified and only then comes the time to formulate the hypothesis that opens the doors to the research itself. From the hypothesis test you can collect information, study the results and consider different changes to the theory to finally be able to confirm or refute it, the last step.