Positivism

E481137

Positivism is a philosophical doctrine that emphasizes empirical science and observable facts as the sole basis for knowledge, rejecting metaphysics and theology.

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Observed surface forms (3)

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf epistemological theory
philosophical doctrine
philosophical movement
advocatesFor verification of statements by observation or experiment
aimsAt establishing a unified scientific worldview
appliedIn natural sciences
social sciences
associatedWith Auguste Comte NERFINISHED
claims societies evolve from theological to metaphysical to positive stages
contrastsWith idealism
metaphysical speculation
rationalism
theological explanations
corePrinciple knowledge progresses through scientific inquiry
only empirically verifiable statements are meaningful
criticizedFor dismissal of metaphysical and ethical questions as meaningless
ignoring subjective experience
overemphasis on scientific method
developedBy Auguste Comte NERFINISHED
developedFurtherBy Herbert Spencer NERFINISHED
John Stuart Mill NERFINISHED
Émile Littré NERFINISHED
emphasizes empirical science
observable facts
epistemicCriterion observability
verifiability
hasVariant legal positivism
logical positivism
neo-positivism
historicalPhaseTheory law of three stages NERFINISHED
holdsThat knowledge must be based on empirical observation
scientific method is the primary route to knowledge
influenced empiricism
logical positivism NERFINISHED
philosophy of science
scientism
sociology
influencedBy British empiricism
Enlightenment thought
developments in natural sciences
methodologicalStance priority of quantitative methods in social science
use of observation and experiment in studying society
originatedIn 19th century
France NERFINISHED
rejects a priori knowledge independent of experience
metaphysics
theology as a source of knowledge
relatedTo logical empiricism NERFINISHED
scientific naturalism

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Teófilo Braga ideology Positivism
behaviorism methodologicalStance Positivism
subject surface form: Behaviorism
Bolesław Prus movement Positivism
Józef Dietl movement Positivism
this entity surface form: Polish positivism
Karol Estreicher Sr. movement Positivism
this entity surface form: Polish Positivism
Teófilo Braga movement Positivism
Allgemeine Erkenntnislehre relatedWork Positivism
this entity surface form: Positivismus und Realismus
Temple of Humanity religion Positivism