Čtyři empirické principy Ehrenfrieda Walthera von Tschirnhause

Abstract

This historically oriented study is dedicated to the German naturalist, mathematician and philosopher Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus (1651–1708) and aims to introduce his main philosophical-logical work, Medicina mentis. After a biographical overview, from which important connections emerge, the article sets out and comments upon his four empirical principles, which provide an overview of the philosophical theory of knowledge. The key theme of his main work is the art of invention (ars inveniendi) and the concept of science as applied algebra, which was an obvious influence on Tschirnhaus’s epistemology and logic. The thinking of this philosopher engages with the work of Descartes, Spinoza, Geulincx and Gassendi, with which – like Leibniz – he tries to harmonize. Although Tschirnhaus’s approach is in many regards dependent on other thinkers, he stands out for his appreciation of the controlled imagination in science and experimentation. The four empirical principles, then, emphasize inner experience and an a posteriori approach.

Keywords

• ehrenfried walther von tschirnhaus
• rationalism
• cartesianism
• theory of knowledge
• logic
• experience
• experiment
• ars inveniendi