Philosophy
Rationalism vs. Empiricism: The Historical Debate
Quick fact
The debate between rationalism and empiricism reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the two sides so opposed that Immanuel Kant famously tried to merge them, claiming that 'thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind.'
Why this is interesting
You trust your senses every day—but what if they deceive you? And if reason seems so reliable, can it discover truths without any experience?