Difference between revisions of "Positivism"
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'''Positivism''' is the [[Philosophy|philosophical]] [[theory]] that the only things that are [[Truth|true]] are those that have been directly experienced. Positivism also asserts that [[empiricism]] and the [[scientific method]] are the best approaches to uncovering the validity of scientific postulations about the universe ([[natural science|natural sciences]]) and questions about human behavior and social functioning ([[social sciences]]). | '''Positivism''' is the [[Philosophy|philosophical]] [[theory]] that the only things that are [[Truth|true]] are those that have been directly experienced. Positivism also asserts that [[empiricism]] and the [[scientific method]] are the best approaches to uncovering the validity of scientific postulations about the universe ([[natural science|natural sciences]]) and questions about human behavior and social functioning ([[social sciences]]). | ||
| + | === Einstein on positivism === | ||
| + | According to [[Einstein]] positivism states that ''what cannot be observed does not exist'' and it is ''"scientifically indefensible"'', because it is impossible to make a valid affirmations of what people 'can' or 'cannot' observe. He alienated himself from this position by explicitly stating: ''"I am not a positivist."''<ref name="Flew">{{Cite book|title=There is a God, How the world's most notorious atheist changed his mind|author=Antony Flew|publisher=HarperOne|year=2008|chapter=PREFACE |pages=XXIV|isbn=978-0-06-133530-3|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zbL66ePcjpQC&dq=Antony+Flew+There+is+a+God&source=bl&ots=o0jEX-bGMl&sig=Rrf5Tv5MynLGVHFOhZy95LFfLGw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Zfx_UI7sNLDY4QSLi4HAAQ&redir_esc=y|quote=}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|cf. ''[[Paul Dirac|Dirac]] once said, "That which is not observable does not exist," but these days what is said is, "I know my theory is right. Therefore anything required to make it work must also be right whether observable or not."''<ref name="DismantlingBB">{{cite book|author=Alex Williams, John Hartnett|title=Dismantling the Big Bang|publisher=Master Books|location=Green Forest, AR, USA|year=2005|pages=288|isbn=978-0-89051-437-5 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EvN9Gfbox74C&printsec=frontcover&dq=dismantling+the+big+bang&hl=sk&sa=X&ei=uE2VUtadEYrMygOThYDABQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Dirac&f=false}}</ref>|group=note}} | ||
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| + | == Notes == | ||
| + | <references group=note/> | ||
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| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
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| + | ==See Also== | ||
| + | *[[Logical positivism]] | ||
[[Category: Philosophy]] | [[Category: Philosophy]] | ||
Revision as of 15:23, December 1, 2013
Positivism is the philosophical theory that the only things that are true are those that have been directly experienced. Positivism also asserts that empiricism and the scientific method are the best approaches to uncovering the validity of scientific postulations about the universe (natural sciences) and questions about human behavior and social functioning (social sciences).
Einstein on positivism
According to Einstein positivism states that what cannot be observed does not exist and it is "scientifically indefensible", because it is impossible to make a valid affirmations of what people 'can' or 'cannot' observe. He alienated himself from this position by explicitly stating: "I am not a positivist."[1][note 1]
Notes
- ↑ cf. Dirac once said, "That which is not observable does not exist," but these days what is said is, "I know my theory is right. Therefore anything required to make it work must also be right whether observable or not."[2]
References
- ↑ Antony Flew (2008). "PREFACE", There is a God, How the world's most notorious atheist changed his mind. HarperOne, XXIV. ISBN 978-0-06-133530-3.
- ↑ Alex Williams, John Hartnett (2005). Dismantling the Big Bang. Green Forest, AR, USA: Master Books, 288. ISBN 978-0-89051-437-5.
