The definition of this word is hard to understand given
the context in which you mention it. The word refers to a scientific way of thinking
that is based on evidence rather than on simply believing what others tell you. So you
might say that someone with an "empirical habit of thought" (as the book says) is
someone who likes to experiment and find the truth for themselves based on the evidence
they find.
You can see where this would not happen much in
what the book calls a "strictly regimented society." In a society like the one where
Winston lives, people are not supposed to think for themselves and find evidence for
themselves. Instead, they are simply supposed to believe what the Party tells them, no
matter if there is evidence to support it or not.
So, the
word empirical in this context refers to a way of thinking that demands proof and
evidence before it will believe in something.
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