Comtean Positivism by Ashik_KU_SOC_09 Batch

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COMTEAN POSITIVISM

The acknowledge founder of or positive philosophy is no other than the French philosopher Auguste Comte himself. Positivism is nothing but a philosophy of science. It has its roots in the empiricist tradition. It rejects metaphysical speculation in favour of positive knowledge based on systematic observation and experiment. Though Comte is regarded as the founder of positivism, he was influenced by the writings of David Hume and Claude H. Saint-Simon. Meaning of Positivism:  Positivism refers to the doctrine formulated by Comte which asserts that the only true knowledge is scientific knowledge, that is, knowledge which describes and explains the co-existence and succession of observable phenomena, including both physical and social phenomena.
(Ref: D. Jery and J. Jery. Collins Dictionary of Sociology.PP.506)

Positivism denotes any sociological approach which operates on the general assumption that the methods of physical sciences (example. Measurement, search for general laws, etc.) can be carried over into the social sciences.
(Ref: Ibid, PP.507)

Positivism refers to a set of epistemological perspectives and philosophies of science which hold that the scientific method is the best approach to uncovering the processes by which both physical and human events occur.
(Ref: Wikipedia, encyclopedia)

Principles of Positivism: In its strongest original formulation, positivism could be thought of as a set of five principles: 1. The unity of the scientific method i.e., the logic of inquiry is the same across all sciences (social and natural). 2. The goal of inquiry is to explain and predict. 3. Scientific knowledge is testable. Research can be proved only by empirical means, not argumentations. Research should be mostly deductive, i.e. deductive logic is used to develop statements that can be tested (theory leads to hypothesis which in turn leads to discovery and/or study of evidence). 4. Science does not equal common sense. Researchers must be careful not to let common sense bias their research.

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Comtean Positivism by Ashik_KU_SOC_09 Batch

5. The relation of theory to practice science should be as value-neutral as possible, and the ultimate goal of science is to produce knowledge, regardless of any politics, morals, or values held by those involved in the research. Science should be judged by logic, and ideally produce universal conditionals:
 

For all conditions of X, if X has property P and P=Q, then X has property Q. Statements must be true for all times and places.

Some Dimensions of Positivism: In the theory of positivism, Auguste Comte has acknowledged of some dimensions which are also called as the characteristics or the basic elements of positivism. They are as follows: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. Scientific sprite; Resouring and observation; Object of social science; Order and progress; Study as a whole; Progress through evolutionary process; Social statics and social dynamics;

Division of Positivism: Auguste Comte divided the thought of positivism into three ways. They areI. Philosophy of sciences: The main philosophy of sciences is that man is largely depending on the development of mans own fate. And the cognitive approach of this philosophy is mainly shown in the subject as Mathematics; Astronomy; Physics; Chemistry; Biology and Sociology. II. Scientific religion and ethics: It has no relation with the super natural thinking. It is mainly scientific religion of humanity. Hereby, to achieve the goal of positivism, everyone must have to work through the use of ones physical and human ready wit for the betterment of human. III. Positive politics: Against war and protection of war is the main theme of positive politics. To avoid war from all European countries and to ensure the peaceful and modest relation is also another important aim of positive politics.

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Nature of Comtean Positivism: Comte used the term positivism in two distinctive ways: i. ii. Positivism as a doctrine; Positivism as a method.

i. Positivism as a Doctrine: Positivism as a Way of Thinking: As developed by Auguste, positivism is a way of thinking based on the assumption that it is possible to observe social life and establish reliable, valid knowledge about how it work. Such knowledge can be used to affect the course of change and improve the human condition. Positivism of Comte which represents a philosophical position states that knowledge can be derived only from sensory experience. The methods of the physical sciences are regarded as the only accurate means of obtaining knowledge, and therefore, the social sciences should be limited to the use of these methods and modeled after the physical science. ii. Positivism as a Method: Positivism Implies the Use of Scientific Method: By the concept of positivism, Comte meant the application of scientific methods to understand society and its changes. Applying this concept to the modern societies, Comte emphasized that sociology must depend on careful observation, usually based on statistical measures of social statics and social dynamics. He also recognized that sociology would have to be less experimental than the physical sciences because of the ethical and practical difficulties intervening in peoples lives. He also regarded scientific knowledge as relative knowledge, not absolute. Positivism Would Essentially Mean a Method of Approach: The methods of science can give us knowledge of the laws of co-existence and succession of phenomena, but can never penetrate to the inner essence and nature of things. Positivism Deifies Observation and Classification of Data: According to Comte, positivism is purely an intellectual way of looking of the world. He believed that the mind should concentrate on the observation and classification of phenomena. He believed that both theological and metaphysical speculations as he used the terms were as likely to be fiction as truth, and that there is no way of determining which the cause is.

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Impact of Positivism on Social Thinking:    Comtes positivism has its own impact on the world of social thinking. Today, positivism signifies adherence to an empiricist view of the nature of science. It also projects a scientific approach to the study of social life on the empiricist model.  It also signifies an attempt to discover social laws similar to the law-like regularities discovered by natural sciences. Criticisms against Positivism: Comte has been severally criticized by different writers. Some such critical comments made against Comtean views are stated below: i. According to Prof. Chambliss, Comtes positivism is a highly abstract concept, as is the mores it means so much that its meaning cannot be neat. ii. iii. Comte's positivism has a strongly mentalistic or idealistic bias. Actually, Comtes positivism hasnt any acceptability for all countries rather he only influenced by French not on the other European countries. iv. Although Comte tried to interrelate positivism with both science and religion whose may impossible. Concluding Remark: In spite of the criticisms leveled against the term positivism, it is still used to refer to the radical empiricism and scientisism advanced in the early decades of the 20th century by the Vienna Circle. This is usually considered to be the major influence on modern 20th century sociological positivism.

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