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ShreeGaneshaaya Namah
Positivism
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What is positivism ?
Any event is an instance of well-supported
regularity.
An event can be scientifically explainedand presented as a form of logical
argument.
Two most prevalent models of explanation
are deductive and inductive.
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Deductive model enables us to predict an
event which has not yet occurred.
Inductive model enables us to explain anevent by showing that it belongs to an
established generalised theory/ notion.
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Either one can confirm established
theories through field realities, or falsify
them. Majority of positivists believe that it is apt
to falsify rather than confirm theories.
Leading falsificationist Karl Popper.
Hypothetico-Deductive Method
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The Hypothetico-Deductive Method
of Karl Popper Formulate a theory
Make hypothesis
Test the hypothesis by making potentiallyfalsifying observations
If theory is falsified, it must be abandoned,
else accepted.
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Positivists believe that there is no logic of
discovery by which we can arrive at
theories through observations. Without grand theories, observation in the
field is not meaningful.
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Theory and observation are distinct.
Observation feeds into theory through
correspondence rules.
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Positivism operates on the logic of
science.
In that sense positivism is naturalism. Society as per the positivists rules,
operates as per the laws of nature.
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Social Theory According to
Positivism Foundations laid by August Comte (1798
- 1857)
Positivism as a method of scientificinvestigation and a stage in the
development of the human mind
theological, metaphysical and positivist.
There are logical structures and methods
with which to explain society.
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Social laws social statics and dynamics
Social statics reveal the manner in which
social facts co-exist at any given time. Social dynamics reveal how events
succeed one another in time.
Statics will explain social order, dynamicswill explain human progress.
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Durkheim (1858 1917) There are
discoverable social laws comparable to
those governing the rest of nature.
Social facts are also facts of nature.
Main contribution elaborate analysis on
social facts.
Concepts of social facts to be formed
objectively
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Scientific observation and definition asnecessary for explaining socialphenomena
Causal explanations and comparativemethod.
Weber causal generalisations
discovery of causes with empiricalmethods.
Cause and effect relations in society recur.
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Logic of causal explanations of social facts is
identical with the logic of causal explanations of
natural events.
Value-fact dichotomy - Things and socialphenomena do not have values in themselves.
Values are attributed to them by persons
studying those facts/ phenomena.
All notions that cannot be derived from sensory
experience are scientifically not relevant.
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Analytical realism
Existence of an external knowable social
world, congruent with the order of humanlogic.
Reduction of complexity through
unification of knowledge.
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Positivism is about codification
generalisations derived from unconnected
investigations into different areas are
explained by some common factor that
codifies them.
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Karl Popper as an important proponent of
positivism
Knowledge is rational and objective It needs to be and should be formulated in
certain kind of statements open to public
scrutiny and discussion.
To study society cannot resort to
induction and verifiability
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Rather we need deduction and falsifiability
Universal theories should be starting
points Facts and phenomena can then verify or
falsify them.
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Main Points of Positivism
Subject (observer)-object (social
phenomena/ facts) dualism
Minimum differences between physicaland social facts.
Generalisations as key to understand
society
Clear distinction between scientific
knowledge and common sense.
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Critique of Positivism
Social reality is too vast to study all its
aspects. Hence the value base of the
investigator/ intervener will come into this
process. Further individualities are equally
important.
Understanding values and cultures are
important.
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Subjective experience as also important to
understand society and social reality.
In studying society, differences accordingto contexts are also important.