How Do Rationalism and Empiricism Provide Sound Foundations?

Abstract

The contrast between AI and HCAI is a continuation of the 2,000-year-old clash between Aristotle’s rationalism, based on logical analyses, and Leonardo da Vinci’s empiricism, based on sensory exploration of the world. Both are valuable and worthy of understanding. Both philosophies, rationalism and empiricism, offer valuable insights, so I apply rational thinking for its strengths, but I know that balancing it with an empirical outlook helps me see other possibilities, which use observational strategies. Watching users of technology has always led me to fresh insights, so I am drawn to usability studies, interviews, naturalistic observations, and repeated weeks-long case studies with users doing their work to complement the rationalist approach of controlled experiments in laboratory settings.