1. Empirical：based on experience or experiments rather than ideas or theories
Eg. There is no empirical evidence to support his thesis .
--> Empiricalism VS Rationalism
Empiricism,in philosophy, the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience. This broad difinition accords with the derivation of the termempiricismfrom the ancient Greek wordempeiria,“experience.”
Rationalism vs. Empiricism
First published Thu Aug 19, 2004; substantive revision Thu Mar 21, 2013
The dispute between rationalism and empiricism concerns the extent to which we are dependent upon sense experience in our effort to gain knowledge. Rationalists claim that there are significant ways in which our concepts and knowledge are gained independently of sense experience. Empiricists claim that sense experience is the ultimate source of all our concepts and knowledge.
Rationalists generally develop their view in two ways. First, they argue that there are cases where the content of our concepts or knowledge outstrips the information that sense experience can provide. Second, they construct accounts of how reason in some form or other provides that additional information about the world. Empiricists present complementary lines of thought. First, they develop accounts of how experience provides the information that rationalists cite, insofar as we have it in the first place. (Empiricists will at times opt for skepticism as an alternative to rationalism: if experience cannot provide the concepts or knowledge the rationalists cite, then we don't have them.) Second, empiricists attack the rationalists' accounts of how reason is a source of concepts or knowledge.
2. pick holes in sth
to find the weak points in sth such as a plan, suggestion, etc.挑刺儿；挑毛病；找漏洞
鸡蛋里挑骨头
3. gold leaf 金箔
4. four bodily humours
humour n. (old use) one of the four liquids that were thought in the past to be in a person’s body and to influence health and character 体液（旧时认为存在人体内，有四种，可影响健康和性格）
Alhazen阿尔哈曾(965-1040)埃及物理学家。他最感兴趣的领域是光学，认为光是由太阳或其他发光体发射出来的，然后通过被看见的物体反射入人眼而感知的结果。他还正确地解释了透镜的原理，即透镜的聚焦，并制作了无透镜的针孔成像机。他还制出了抛物面镜，一种今天用于望远镜上的部件。他的著作《光学宝鉴》在16世纪被译成拉丁文出版，对像开普勒这样的科学家产生了重大影响。
2RenéDescartes勒内·笛卡尔1596年3月31日生于法国安德尔-卢瓦尔省的图赖讷(现笛卡尔，因笛卡儿得名)，1650年2月11日逝世，法国哲学家、数学家、物理学家。他对现代数学的发展做出了重要的贡献，因将几何坐标体系公式化而被认为是解析几何之父。他还是西方现代哲学思想的奠基人，是近代唯物论的开拓者且提出了"普遍怀疑"的主张。黑格尔称他为"现代哲学之父"。他的哲学思想深深影响了之后的几代欧洲人，开拓了所谓"欧陆理性主义"哲学。堪称17世纪的欧洲哲学界和科学界最有影响的巨匠之一，被誉为"近代科学的始祖"。
4Edmond Halley埃德蒙多·哈雷(1656-1742)。英国天文学家、地理学家、数学家、气象学家和物理学家，曾任牛津大学几何学教授，第二任格林尼治天文台台长。他把牛顿定律应用到彗星运动上，并正确预言了那颗现被称为哈雷的彗星作回归运动的事实，他还发现了天狼星、南河三和大角这三颗星的自行，以及月球长期加速现象。
Ernest Rutherford欧内斯特·卢瑟福(1871年-1937年)，新西兰著名物理学家，著名的原子核物理学之父。学术界公认他为继法拉第之后最伟大的实验物理学家。卢瑟福领导团队成功地证实在原子的中心有个原子核，创建了卢瑟福模型(行星模型)。他最先成功地在氮与α粒子的核反应里将原子分裂，他又在同实验里发现了质子，并且为质子命名。第104号元素为纪念他而命名为"炉"。
事迹：1909年卢瑟福在英国曼彻斯特大学同他的学生Marsden用α粒子撞击一片薄金箔，他发现大部分的粒子都能通过金箔，只有极少数会跳回。他笑说这是海军用15吋巨炮射击一张纸，但炮弹却会被弹回而打到自己。最后他提出了一个类似于大阳系行星系统的原子模型，认为原子空间大都是空的，电子像行星围绕原子核旋转，推翻了当时所使用的梅子布丁原子模型。
摘自同学笔记。
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