What is positivism
Marie Callinan
What is positivism?
Positivism is a well established philosophy within the natural sciences. In the early nineteenth century it became an integral aspect of social science methodology. In Baconian tradition, positivism is the precise and objective observation of an object from a scientifically detached position. Though its definition is broad, there are fundamentally six assumptions in positivistic philosophy and three distinct generations that negotiate with these assumptions.
Naturalism; positivists are committed to the implication of the natural scientific method in social science. The natural scientific method creates a ‘closed system’ in which a limited number of discrete variables are identified, influences are excluded, cause and effect is established, and scientific law or authoritative knowledge is constructed. No acknowledgement of open systems as a feature of both natural and social science is made.
Phenomenalism; only knowledge gained from physical experience is considered valid. Otherwise it is metaphysical and meaningless. If it cannot be subject to empirical tests and corroborated, it does not exist. Happiness, for example, by this criterion, is meaningless.
Nominalism; again concepts must be rooted in physical actuality. Words are mere reflections of things, semantics are dismissed. Scientific concepts are regarded as true reflections of the world instead.
Atomism; attempts definition of discrete irreducible objects. An individual would by this criterion, be the smallest unit of society. The19th century utilitarian maxim ‘greater good for greater number’ placed special emphasis on this assumption.
Scientific laws; a sequence of regularities in objects are sought and named a constant conjunction of events. A general statement is then devised citing one variable as the cause, the other as the effect. e.g.: ill health as the cause for poverty. The problematic, internal structure of these objects is not examined. Universal
What is positivism?
Positivism is a well established philosophy within the natural sciences. In the early nineteenth century it became an integral aspect of social science methodology. In Baconian tradition, positivism is the precise and objective observation of an object from a scientifically detached position. Though its definition is broad, there are fundamentally six assumptions in positivistic philosophy and three distinct generations that negotiate with these assumptions.
Naturalism; positivists are committed to the implication of the natural scientific method in social science. The natural scientific method creates a ‘closed system’ in which a limited number of discrete variables are identified, influences are excluded, cause and effect is established, and scientific law or authoritative knowledge is constructed. No acknowledgement of open systems as a feature of both natural and social science is made.
Phenomenalism; only knowledge gained from physical experience is considered valid. Otherwise it is metaphysical and meaningless. If it cannot be subject to empirical tests and corroborated, it does not exist. Happiness, for example, by this criterion, is meaningless.
Nominalism; again concepts must be rooted in physical actuality. Words are mere reflections of things, semantics are dismissed. Scientific concepts are regarded as true reflections of the world instead.
Atomism; attempts definition of discrete irreducible objects. An individual would by this criterion, be the smallest unit of society. The19th century utilitarian maxim ‘greater good for greater number’ placed special emphasis on this assumption.
Scientific laws; a sequence of regularities in objects are sought and named a constant conjunction of events. A general statement is then devised citing one variable as the cause, the other as the effect. e.g.: ill health as the cause for poverty. The problematic, internal structure of these objects is not examined. Universal