He was an unswerving empiricist with little time for theory.
empiricism in British English
(ɛmˈpɪrɪˌsɪzəm)
noun
1. philosophy
the doctrine that all knowledge of matters of fact derives from experience and that the mind is not furnished with a set of concepts in advance of experience
Compare intuitionism, rationalism
2.
the use of empirical methods
3.
medical quackery; charlatanism
Derived forms
empiricist (emˈpiricist)
noun, adjective
empiricism in American English
(ɛmˈpɪrɪˌsɪzəm)
noun
1.
experimental method; search for knowledge by observation and experiment
2.
a.
a disregarding of scientific methods and relying solely on experience
b. Archaic
quackery
3. Philosophy
the theory that sense experience is the only source of knowledge