ipl-logo

Positivism Theory In Social Science

834 Words4 Pages

The beginning of knowledge comes from metaphysics, theological and positivism. And these put much on a critical stance in the discourse of method. Little (2011), explains that method is a prescriptive body of doctrines to guide inquiry. The ideal of understanding social world underlies in whether to embrace and use principles and guiding procedures of the natural world where positivism dominates in the epistemological consideration. Atkinson & Hammersley (2007) explain that this method has a considerable influence onto social scientist, in promoting the status of survey research and the quantitative analysis Positivism refers to an epistemological position which calls for the application of the methods of natural sciences to the study of …show more content…

According to Crowther and Lancaster (2008), as a general rule, positivist studies normally adopt deductive approach). Positivism relies on scientific evidence drawn from experiments and quantified facts which target to reflect the dynamics and picture of the social world. Positivism holds the principles of both inductive and deductive which mean that the latter tests hypotheses and the former gathers knowledge that is reached through gathering of evidence. It relies on scientific facts drawn from experimentation and facts that can be quantified and gives meaning to the dynamics in the social world. It holds the principle of both deductive and inductive which implies that the latter tested hypotheses and the former collects knowledge which is arrived by collecting facts. Further, positivism underpins the central principle of value laden free which is objective. Bryman (2002) explains that positivism postulates objectivism. Despite being objective, positivist is being barraged with criticism as the social world cannot be fully understood following the mechanistic laws of natural sciences. Social life and its dynamics are different in comparison to study chemistry, physics and so …show more content…

The social world as a domain of phenomena is fundamentally divergent from the natural world, in respect of its degree of law governedness (Little 1993). Marxist method asserts that the social world is not ordered. Therefore, natural law is normally governed by a certain causation and its effects are not adequate enough to explain how the composed is the social world. Little (2011)elucidated that Marxist’s view on social inquiry is underpinned in a summation of many cross-cutting and different and processes, institutions and structures driven by the meaningful actions of persons, within given material and cultural institutions that bear contingent and sometimes accidental relations to each other. Marxists think that methods try to focus on the world

Show More
Related

  • Positivism In My Lobotomy

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    Positivism helps discover and accept the science over theology. Also, faith that the scientific method could provide the source of knowledge and the solutions to society’s problem. For the novel My Lobotomy by Howard Dully, it shows a perfect example how these scientists started to study humans like nature. When it comes to understanding

    Read More

  • Psy 315 Week 3 Part 3 Summary

    1037 Words  | 5 Pages

    Part III: Application of Terms (6 points each = 24%) Analepsis- The entire first chapter of Child 44 is an analepsis, or more commonly known as a flashback. This chapter takes the reader twenty years into the past in order to view what we later find out is Leo and his younger brother Andrei hunting a cat in the wild in order to feed their mother. Analepsis is also used in Child 44 when Leo is injected with a medicine in order to make him tell the truth.

    Read More

  • Feminist Lens In The Hunger Games

    754 Words  | 4 Pages

    When using a Marxist lens the viewer must focus on social classes and how power is distributed throughout these classes, including who holds the power and who is inferior to that power in the society. One question that might come about when viewing the

    Read More

  • Marxism In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

    1639 Words  | 7 Pages

    Marxism is the idea of social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. Social processes are the way individuals and groups interact, adjust and reject and start relationships based on behavior which is modified through social interactions. Overall marxism analyzes how societies progress and how and society ceases to progress, or regress because of their local or regional economy , or global economy. In this case, Marxism’s theory applies to the novel, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, where a society where mass satisfaction is the instrument utilized by places of power known as the Alphas in order to control the oppressed by keeping the Epsilons numb, at the cost of their opportunity to choose their own way of life. Marx thinks that an individual had a specific job to do in order to contribute to their community and that is the only way to do so; There is no escaping your contribution either.

    Read More

  • Life's Inequality In Life In The Iron Mills

    666 Words  | 3 Pages

    The difference in social classes shows how the Marxist analysis approach can be applied to Life in the Iron Mills. Social structure wasn’t always present in society, in fact towards the start of the human race, everyone was actually equal. Sure, there were the hunters and there were the gathers, but they realized they

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Epistemology

    1389 Words  | 6 Pages

    This does not exclude a quantitative approach being associated with a post-positivist approach. In contrast, for a researcher who favors interpretive, knowledge is a matter of interpretation (Schutt, 2009) so that the quest for understanding the complex world of lived experience demands that the researcher interact with the research objects/participants to get the viewpoint. The investigator favored a post-positivist approach since he believes that human knowledge can be challenged and modified in light of further investigation. Following is a description of the methodology that was followed for this

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Objectivism

    1091 Words  | 5 Pages

    Objectivism Pros • Advocates for “independent thinking, productiveness, justice, honesty, and self-responsibility” (Biddle, 2014). o As educators we encourage independent thinking and when it comes to online learning, one will need to be able to think independently as sometimes the course will be asynchronous. • Objectivism advocates scientific advancement, industrial progress, objective (as opposed to “progressive” or faith-based) education” (Biddle, 2014). • “Every principle is derived from the observable facts of reality and the demonstrable requirements of human life and happiness” (Biddle, 2014). o I feel that my district is doing this currently with their “visible learning walkthroughs.”

    Read More

  • Emile Durkheim And The Marxist Theory Of Karl Marx

    1512 Words  | 7 Pages

    Introduction Great thinkers, including Plato and Aristotle opened the doors to studying society; they based their thoughts on creating an “ideal society”. The science of Sociology was later developed in the early 19th century by Auguste Comte, who coined the word “Sociology”. He began to study society, using “critical thinking”. Comte believed that only by really understanding society could we begin to change it.

    Read More

  • Advantages Of Positivism In Physical Geography

    1027 Words  | 5 Pages

    Physical geographers apply the positivist approach in trying to understand the physical world. Bennett defines positivism as “a philosophy of meaning, of what you say that something is true, when you offer it as something which others must also accept because it is, according to some allegedly neutral standard true” (2009, 310). In this paper the way in which geographers use the positivist theory to understand the physical world will be discussed along with the advantages and limitations of using this method. There are a host of factors involved in the positivistic approach to physical geography. Physical geography is viewed by many as being hands on work with less theory.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Constructivism In International Relations

    1266 Words  | 6 Pages

    In this paper, I have attempted to present an understanding of Pakistan-India conflict by using constructivism theory of international relations. There are many reasons other than strategic reason causing this conflict like differences in ideologies, norms and beliefs. There are also cultural differences between these two nations. 2. Pakistan-India Conflict an overview South Asia is considered a region of great importance in the world.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Marxism And Feminism

    1143 Words  | 5 Pages

    Holland Arrowsmith explains Marxism as a term which refers to “a hugely diverse set of social, economic, philosophical, historical and cultural theories”. Several theories such as social, economical, political and critical theories have been derived from Marxism philosophy. Marxism advocates equality amongst the class structure of society. Marxism is divided into two fundamental classes. According to Marx there are only two classes which exist: Bourgeoisie, which means powerful or dominant class and Proletariat, which means the peasant or working classes.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx And Class Conflict

    1486 Words  | 6 Pages

    A Marxist sociologist is a materialist and a sociologist that follows the ideas of Marx. Marx’s main concern was that of capitalism and class conflict. In the words of Giddens and Sutton (2013), capitalism is ‘a system of production that contrasts radically with all previous economic systems.’ It was Marx’s belief that all societies, including capitalist societies, are divided into classes, with one being the dominant class. In the case of capitalism, there are two main classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Positivism In Education

    1255 Words  | 6 Pages

    Positivism can be understood as the idea that the methods of the natural sciences should be used to study human and social matters. In this essay I will be explaining how positivism gave substance to the idea whilst paying particular attention to the role of induction and deduction. Positivism has had some influence in Education and the essay will attempt to outline and critically discuss some of these influences. The knowledge that we acquire is from observations with the aid of our senses.

    Read More

  • Karl Marx's Contributions To Sociology Case Study

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    Question 1. What do you make of Karl Marx’s contributions to sociology? Answer: It would take volumes to describe how important Karl Marx’s work is in sociology. His work is important in the 21st century because his concepts and ideas are the only genuine seeds for a better society.

    Read More

  • Marx's Class Struggle

    1177 Words  | 5 Pages

    Marx’s use of this method, the dialectical materialism, to analyze the general development of historical events and it is a large outline of the principal stages through which history has moved. The materialist view to history shows that humanity has the capability to survive, as

    Read More

More about Positivism Theory In Social Science

Open Document