Positivism - Seattle Pacific University



EDU 6971 Introduction to Graduate Research

POSITIVISM AND INTERPRETIVISM

Positivism

Assumptions of positivism

1. The verifiability principle: A statement is meaningful only if its truth can be evaluated on the basis of objective observation by the human senses. (Mathematical and logical tautologies are also considered meaningful, as well as statements that can be derived logically from other meaningful statements.)

2. Physical and social reality exists independently of those who observe it.

3. Therefore, theories can be confirmed or disconfirmed through objective, neutral observations. That is, observations can be free from the influence of the theories and values of the observer.

4. The concepts of cause and effect, as developed in the physical sciences, can be applied to human behavior.

Possible critiques of positivism

1. Positivism is founded on a contradiction. It rests on assumptions that cannot be supported by a positivist worldview. The basic assumption of positivism – that a statement is meaningful only if its truth can be evaluated on the basis of objective observation by the human senses – is itself a philosophical claim that cannot be evaluated on the basis of objective observation.

2. Positivist science also requires moral principles (e.g., honesty, the necessity of putting truth above personal interest) that cannot be justified on the basis of positivism alone.

3. Taken strictly, the positivist position implies not just methodological naturalism (conducting science as if God does not intervene in the cosmos), but metaphysical naturalism (claiming there is not, and cannot be, a God that intervenes in the cosmos). Strict positivism denies the possibility that religious statements can be meaningful, let alone true.

4. Some concepts crucial to understanding human life and behavior are not directly observable. That is, if scientific inquiry is limited to questions that can be addressed using positivist methodology, there may be important educational questions that cannot be addressed “scientifically.”

5. Theory-free or value-free observations are impossible. Human perception is constructive; what one perceives through the senses is in part a function of one’s existing knowledge, beliefs, experiences, and culture.

6. The concepts of cause and effect, as developed in the physical sciences, cannot be applied to human behavior. How a person responds to an event or situation depends on how the person interprets that event or situation, not on its observable properties. Also, human beings are not deterministic: Human free will renders cause and effect an inadequate way of talking about human behavior.

Interpretivism / constructivism

Assumptions of interpretivism

1. Reality is socially constructed.

2. Reality is constructed differently by different individuals and social groups.

3. Hence, there is not a single objective reality independent of the observer.

Possible critiques of interpretivism

1. Because of its implicit relativism, interpretivism is founded on a contradiction. Interpretivism makes the claim that there is no absolute truth, but this claim itself is presented as an absolute truth.

2. Interpretivism provides no basis for the absolute moral foundations (e.g., honesty) necessary for the conduct of science.

3. The relativism implicit in interpretivism ultimately denies the possibility of meaningful communication, and thus eliminates rational discourse as a means of resolving differences. If each person constructs a different reality, what basis is there for deciding among competing scientific theories or claims?

4. Interpretivism fails to account for the successes of the scientific method.

5. Abandoning the notion of cause and effect undercuts any effort at improving educational practice.

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