What is the Difference Between Positivism and Post-Positivism?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main differences between positivism and post-positivism are related to their views on objectivity, reality, and the role of the researcher. Here are the key distinctions:
- Objectivity: Positivists believe that objectivity is a characteristic that resides in the individual scientist, and scientists are responsible for putting aside their biases and beliefs to see the world as it 'really' is. In contrast, post-positivists argue that no individual can see the world perfectly as it is, and that all observations are theory-laden. They believe that scientists, like everyone else, are inherently biased by their cultural experiences and worldviews.
- Reality: Positivists assume that there is a reality independent of our thinking about it, and that equivalent laws can be revealed about the social world. Post-positivists also believe that truth should be considered objective but assert that our experiences of such truths are necessarily imperfect because they are influenced by our biases and worldviews.
- Role of the Researcher: Positivists view the researcher as an independent observer of the world, while post-positivists reject this idea, arguing that the researcher's identity and biases influence what they observe and conclude. Post-positivists pursue objective answers by attempting to recognize and work with such biases in the theories and knowledge that theorists develop.
- Methods: Positivists prefer quantitative measurement and empirical analysis to overcome individual biases of the researcher. Post-positivists, on the other hand, are more likely to use mixed methods and triangulation of quantitative and qualitative approaches, accepting the problematic nature of "objective" truths. Some post-positivists also adopt a philosophy called critical realism, which lies between positivism and interpretivism.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Positivism and Post-Positivism? Comparative Table: Positivism vs Post-Positivism
Comparative Table: Positivism vs Post-Positivism
The main differences between positivism and post-positivism can be summarized in the following table:
| Positivism | Post-Positivism |
|---|---|
| Emphasizes empiricism and objectivity | Rejects positivism and presents new assumptions to unravel the truth |
| Believes in objective reality and that facts can be observed and measured | Critiques the idea that objective reality can be observed and measured directly |
| Focuses on observable and measurable phenomena | Accepts that not everything can be observed directly, such as human behavior, but doesn't deny the possibility of measuring abstract concepts |
| Assumes that scientific reasoning and common sense reasoning are the same process, with only a difference in degree | Believes that scientific reasoning and common sense reasoning are essentially the same process, but with different degrees of rigor |
| Asserts that equivalent laws can be revealed about the social and natural worlds | Rejects the idea that a researcher can be an independent observer of the social world, as the researcher's identity and perspective influence their observations |
| Relies on a single method of scientific inquiry | Uses multiple methods of scientific inquiry, known as triangulation, to avoid errors and achieve a more accurate understanding |
In summary, positivism focuses on objectivity, empiricism, and the study of observable phenomena, while post-positivism criticizes these ideas and emphasizes the importance of considering the researcher's perspective and the use of multiple research methods.
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- Positivism vs Logical Positivism
- Positivism vs Interpretivism
- Positivism vs Constructivism
- Positivism vs Empiricism
- Natural Law vs Legal Positivism
- Modernism vs Postmodernism
- Post-Structuralism vs Structuralism
- Pragmatism vs Progressivism
- Pragmatism vs Idealism
- Idealism vs Naturalism
- Constructivism vs Cognitivism
- Absolutism vs Relativism
- Negative vs Realism
- Constructivism vs Constructionism
- Empiricism vs Rationalism
- Monism vs Dualism
- Realism vs Naturalism
- Idealism vs Materialism
- Existentialism vs Nihilism