Post-Positivism as a Philosophy of Research
Summary
TLDRPost-positivism, emerging in the 20th century, critiques and modifies positivism's view of objective reality and knowledge. It shifts from naive realism to critical realism, acknowledging partial and probabilistic understanding of external reality. Key figures like Karl Popper emphasize falsification over induction, while Thomas Kuhn's 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' highlights the non-linear, sociological development of science. Post-positivism also responds to quantum physics, challenging positivist epistemology and ontology with the uncertainty principle and new realities.
Takeaways
- 🔍 Post-positivism is a philosophical perspective that emerged in the second half of the 20th century, offering a critical revision to the positivist view of objective reality.
- 🔬 Post-positivism moves from naive realism, which posits that reality can be fully understood, to critical realism, which acknowledges that our understanding of reality is partial and probabilistic.
- 🌟 The first major figure in post-positivism was Karl Popper, who emphasized the importance of falsification in the scientific process, contrasting with the inductive approach of positivism.
- 📚 Popper's approach to science is deductive, where a hypothesis is tested to see if it can be proven wrong, rather than confirmed through repeated observations.
- 🚀 Thomas Kuhn, another key figure, argued that scientific knowledge does not accumulate neatly but is marked by significant paradigm shifts and is influenced by historical and sociological factors.
- 🌌 Kuhn's concept of paradigm shifts suggests that scientific progress is not linear but involves sudden changes in the overarching worldview that guides scientific thought.
- 🤔 Post-positivism was influenced by findings in physics, particularly quantum theory, which challenged the positivist assumptions about the certainty and predictability of knowledge and reality.
- 📐 Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of a subatomic particle simultaneously, undermines the positivist view of objective knowledge.
- 🌐 Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics challenges the positivist ontology by suggesting that subatomic particles exist in a reality that cannot be fully known or objectively described.
- 🔄 The post-positivist perspective has become increasingly relevant as an alternative to positivism, especially in light of complex and chaotic findings in various scientific fields.
Q & A
What is post-positivism?
-Post-positivism is a philosophical perspective that emerged in the second half of the 20th century, which critically revised the positivist view that reality can be objectively observed and fully understood. It acknowledges that our understanding of reality is partial and probabilistic.
How does post-positivism differ from positivism?
-While positivism assumes that reality can be fully and objectively apprehended through observation and experimentation, post-positivism adopts a critical realism stance, recognizing that we can only partially and probabilistically understand external reality.
What is the significance of Karl Popper in post-positivism?
-Karl Popper is a major figure in post-positivism, known for his concept of falsification. He argued against the inductive method of science and proposed a deductive approach where a hypothesis is tested to see if it can be proven wrong.
What is the role of falsification in Popper's view of science?
-For Popper, falsification is central to the scientific process. A scientific theory is not proven true through repeated observations but is considered provisionally true if it withstands attempts to prove it wrong.
Who is Thomas Kuhn and how does his work relate to post-positivism?
-Thomas Kuhn is a scholar known for his book 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,' which argues that scientific knowledge develops through messy historical and sociological processes marked by paradigm shifts, rather than neat accumulation.
What is a paradigm shift as described by Kuhn?
-A paradigm shift, according to Kuhn, is a significant change in the basic assumptions and concepts that make up a scientific discipline, leading to a new worldview that replaces the old one.
How do the findings in physics, particularly quantum theory, relate to post-positivism?
-Findings in physics, such as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and Bohr's view on the nature of subatomic particles, challenge the positivist assumptions about the objectivity and predictability of reality, supporting the post-positivist view that reality may not be fully knowable.
What is the uncertainty principle in quantum theory and how does it challenge positivism?
-The uncertainty principle, proposed by Werner Heisenberg, states that it is impossible to simultaneously determine both the position and momentum of a subatomic particle with absolute precision. This principle challenges the positivist belief in the ability to objectively and accurately measure reality.
How does Niels Bohr's work challenge positivism's assumptions about reality?
-Niels Bohr's work on quantum mechanics suggests that subatomic particles exist in a state of superposition and only take on definite properties upon observation, which implies that reality at the quantum level is inherently subjective and not objectively knowable.
In what ways has post-positivism influenced scientific inquiry?
-Post-positivism has influenced scientific inquiry by promoting a more nuanced understanding of the scientific process, acknowledging the role of subjectivity, probability, and the historical and social context in the development of scientific knowledge.
What is the post-positivist view on the objectivity of scientific knowledge?
-Post-positivists argue that scientific knowledge is not purely objective but is influenced by various factors including the observer's perspective, the methods used, and the social and historical context in which the science is conducted.
Outlines
🔬 Introduction to Post-Positivism
Post-positivism is a philosophical perspective that emerged in the latter half of the 20th century as a critical revision of positivism. While positivism held the belief in the objective observation and understanding of reality, post-positivism acknowledges the limitations in fully apprehending external reality. It shifts from naive realism to critical realism, recognizing that scientific knowledge is not absolute but rather probable and subject to falsification. The first major figure associated with post-positivism is Karl Popper, who emphasized the process of falsification over induction, aligning with philosophers like David Hume and Bertrand Russell. Popper's approach to science is deductive, where hypotheses are tested to be false, and if they withstand attempts at falsification, they are provisionally accepted as true.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Post-positivism
💡Positivism
💡Critical Realism
💡Falsification
💡Deductive Process
💡Thomas Kuhn
💡Paradigm Shifts
💡Werner Heisenberg
💡Niels Bohr
💡Quantum Theory
💡Epistemology
Highlights
Post-positivism is a philosophical perspective that emerged in the second half of the 20th century.
Post-positivism critically revised the understanding of objective observation and reality.
The perspective was shaped by critiques of positivism's view of an orderly and predictable world.
Post-positivism moved from naive realism to critical realism.
It acknowledges the partial and probabilistic nature of apprehending external reality.
Post-positivists believe that scientific knowledge is provisionally true and can be falsified.
Karl Popper is a major figure in post-positivism, focusing on the process of falsification.
Popper opposed the logical positivism of the Vienna Circle and Wittgenstein.
Science, for Popper, is a deductive process rather than an inductive one.
Thomas Kuhn's 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' documents the non-linear development of scientific knowledge.
Kuhn argues for paradigm shifts in scientific knowledge, influenced by human factors.
Post-positivist thought responds to and builds on findings in physics, particularly quantum theory.
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle challenges the ability to predict subatomic particles' behavior.
Niels Bohr challenges the objective knowledge of reality with his quantum theory insights.
Post-positivism is seen as increasingly relevant in light of complex scientific findings.
Post-positivism offers an alternative to positivism for scientific inquiry.
Transcripts
so you're wondering what post-positivism
is
you've come to the right place let's dig
in
as the name suggests post-positivism
came after something called positivism
so you may want to check out the
positivism video as well for more
context
but let's suffice it to say that
post-positivism is a philosophical
perspective
arising the second half of the 20th
century which critically revised
the prevailing understanding among
scientists that reality
outside of oneself can be objectively
observed and recorded
resulting in full understanding of that
reality
there came a point where this view of
the world and knowledge creation as
orderly and predictable
was criticized as being out of line with
lived experience
the history of scientific discovery and
new findings in physics
these critiques shaped a new perspective
that of post-positivism
that did not fully reject positivist
understandings
but modified them post-positivism moved
from the naive realism of positivism
which believed in fully and objectively
apprehending reality
outside of oneself towards a critical
realism
which still embraced an understanding of
reality outside of the knower
but instead sought to partially and
probabilistically apprehend that
external reality so instead of saying
through observation and experimentation
i can fully understand the reality of
this forest
like a positivist the postpositivist
might say
through observation and experimentation
i can gain knowledge of this forest
that is highly probable though could in
the future
be falsified through further
investigation
the first major figure in
post-positivism was karl popper
who positioned himself against the
logical positivism of the vienna circle
and wittgenstein
which is discussed in the positivism
video
for popper the process of falsification
is central
rather than understanding science as an
inductive process
or observing a result over and over and
over a bunch of times
meant that you could conclude it was a
universal truth or principle
popper aligned himself with a number of
philosophers including david hume and
bertrand
russell in pointing out that just
because something happens a bunch of
times
does not mean it will happen every time
rather popper presented science as a
deductive process
in which a researcher deduces a
proposition from their hypothesis
and then attempts to prove that
deduction wrong
if it is not proven wrong even when
everyone in the scientific community is
given the chance to try hard to do so
it can be accepted as provisionally true
while popper got the post-positive train
rolling out of the station
he was replaced in the driver's seat by
thomas kuhn scholar and author of the
seminal book
the structure of scientific revolutions
which argues that scientific knowledge
has not been accumulated neatly
rather kuhn documents the messy
historical and sociological development
of scientific knowledge
which is marked as he observes by
significant paradigm shifts
in which one overarching worldview
suddenly gives way to another
this process is demonstrably not
objective or detached
but rather integrates many influences
including human
ones post-positivist thought grew in
response to
and built on findings in physics
particularly those of werner heisenberg
and niels bohr heisenberg's quantum
theory includes the uncertainty
principle
stating that it is impossible to figure
out both the momentum
and the position of a subatomic particle
where is that little electron going
we can't predict and that the very act
of observing the particle alters it
making prediction impossible and
challenging positivism's assumptions
about knowledge or its epistemology
bohr on the other hand challenge
positivism's assumptions about reality
its ontology by asserting that subatomic
particles are inherently different
from previously observed and understood
reality
opening up the possibility of reality
that cannot be objectively and
positively known
as complex even chaotic findings such as
these continued to emerge in physics
and other areas of science the
post-positivist perspective
has seemed increasingly relevant as an
alternative to positivism
as a basis for scientific inquiry
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