empiricism (jan 1, 459 BC – jan 1, 201 BC)

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The formal definition of empiricism is the following: “the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience.” Empiricism was an important component in the development of western medicine - Hippocrates is sometimes referred to as the first empiricist, though he also condoned elements of rationalism in developing medical knowledge. Similarly, Galen believed in the value of empiricism balanced with rationalism - avoiding any statements that weren’t based on unseen entities, while also developing theories about the human body based around logic and experimentation. Galen is recorded to have accidentally severed a pig’s recurrent laryngeal nerve while searching for the vagus nerve, noticed the resultant lack of squealing and then hypothesized that the severed nerve may be responsible for vocalization. So we see, while direct observation was key in this moment, the hypothesis-driven mindset was also critical to the development of medical knowledge. Empiricism persisted throughout the development, for example Vesalius was a believer in pure empiricism in the 16th century, etc.

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