Assignment Directions:

Create an 8-10 slide PPT, or some other presentation, that accomplishes the following.

Choose one of the following two topics:

1. Drawing on what you know of pre-Socratic and classical philosophy (i.e., the philosophy of Socrates and Plato) and modern philosophy (i.e., the philosophy of Descartes and Locke), compare and contrast the concerns of modern and ancient philosophy. Do the ancients care about the same problems as the moderns? If not, what are the major differences between them? Can those differences be reconciled? Why or why not? If not, then which approach to philosophical questioning is the most valuable? Why?
2. Consider the debate between Rationalism and Empiricism. What are the major differences between these two traditions in their approach to the theory of knowledge and metaphysics? What are the differences in their methods and attitudes to doing philosophy? Which tradition is more convincing/more useful as an approach to seeking answers to philosophical questions and to seeking meaning in life? Why?

Present research on each tradition that clearly discusses both sides of the relevant debate. Try to favor reputable sources from the APUS library or philosophy program guide (i.e. no Wikipedia, Course Hero, Spark Notes, etc.).

Submission Instructions:

• Include a proper references/works cited slide (APA or MLA).
• Keep in mind these best practices, please:
• Proper PPTs have bullets on the slide that are explained in the notes section or include audio recordings embedded in the slides where you narrate the presentation (see the video on how to do this if you do not know how). You must provide narration for the presentation in some wayi.e., as notes or as audio recordings.
• If you intend to narrate the presentation with audio recordings, be sure to include the transcript in the notes section (see PPT on how to insert audio if you do not know and want to give that a shot).
• If, for any reason, you are unable to access the notes section, put the transcript/notes in a numbered list in MS Word with the numbers matching the slide.
• Keep the viewer in mind (teacher). While you might work hard on a 20-minute presentation, few faculty members have the time to watch or listen to it.
• Just like papers, clear citations must appear on the slide, i.e., where an audience viewing your presentation would naturally be able to see the citation to justify listing a resource as a reference.

This Assignment aligns with the following:

• Course Objectives
• Learning Objectives

Resources & Supports

• You have free access as an APUS student. Sign in with your MyCampus Email credentials.
• : Watch this 3-minute video if you need guidance on submitting your Assignment.
• Resource with a video on inserting audio.
• APUS Style Guide: – Select your style guide based on your program of study (or MLA).

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Please pick one of the following questions to answer for the Discussion this week:

• What exactly is Empiricism? Please provide specific examples to support your answer.
• Do you believe Locke’s primary and secondary qualities adequately explain reality as it was understood in the late 1600s? Can you think of something that exists that has no primary or secondary qualities or both?
• Why do Empiricists believe there are limits to the knowledge of reality?

Discussion Guidelines

• Three (3) posts minimum.
• The initial forum response is due by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. EST and should be a substantive response to the Discussion prompt.
• For peer replies, respond to at least two (2) classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST and give meaningful replies that advance the Discussion.

Before you post, please thoroughly edit your writing to ensure it is professional and academic. For more details about how the initial post and peer replies are graded, see and the linked .

This Discussion aligns with the following:

reply to:

Week 4: Joseph’s Response

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Florencia Joseph posted Jan 29, 2026 11:05 PM

Evening class,

Question 3:

From my interpretation empiricists believe there are limits to the knowledge of reality because they think we can only know things through experience. According to the classroom readings, it explains that all knowledge begins with experience, meaning we learn by using our senses, like seeing, hearing, and touching.

But since our experiences can only show us so much, empiricists believe we cannot know everything about reality. Immanuel Kant also said that the human mind shapes how we experience the world. For example, we always see events in time and space and understand things through cause and effect.

So, empiricists think there are limits to knowledge because we can only understand reality based on what we experience, and our minds affect how we see the world.

Joseph, F

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Owen Printup Wk 4

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Owen Printup posted Jan 29, 2026 10:57 PM

Empiricists that all knowledge and existence is derived from our senses. Though, in scenarios like a magician tricking an entire crowd of people, or smaller things such as someone hearing their name from across a grocery store, our senses have proven to be unreliable. Therefore there are limits to our knowledge of reality put upon us to said unreliability and it can even be said that we cannot be 100% sure about anything. Along with that, if all knowledge comes from experience, one cannot know anything for certain because one cant observe all experience in a lifetime.

An interesting occurrence that happens to medical students is a phenomenon called the Dunning kruger effect. In short, the effect states that the more you know, the less you think you know. This applies because people who are subject matter experts tend to have less confidence in their total knowledge because they know how vast and intricate their specific subject goes.

Another limitation on empirical knowledge are ideas that cannot be determined based on observation alone. For example, the topic of God comes up in the rational / empirical debate. By the very nature of the Abrahamic interpretation of God, they cannot be observed by the senses of man, therefore it is knowledge that cannot be accessed in the empirical sense. Instead of claiming absolute knowledge, empiricists attempt to use what knowledge we are able to gain and make inferences to the real world and are able to apply that to their daily lives, rather than strive for raw, sanctioned truths.