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positivism holds that both the natural and the social world are governed by “universal
and generic properties” which can be tested (Turner 2006: 452). Secondly, positivism
subscribes to empiricism in proposing that knowledge does not exist a priori, rather
sensory observation enables individuals to perceive reality prior to their reasoning
about it (Miller 1970: 798). Thirdly, based on the preceding assumptions, positivists
believe in the pure objectivity of the scientific method which, they proclaim, enables
facts and values to be separated through empirical observation (Halperin and Heath
2012: 33). These first three assumptions beget positivism’s nomology (the science of
laws); if the created world is governed by laws then the aim of the social sciences is
to pursue explanations and to predict natural phenomena, achieved by discerning
natural law through objective and empirical testing (Halperin and Heath 2012: 33).
In sum, positivism sets forth a hierarchical vision of knowledge whereby conclusions
arrived at by scientific means are supremely valued. The application of this principle
leads to the positivist epistemology in which societies can be bettered through
regulation. Corrective systems or, “the regulation of the inside through the outside”,
will achieve societal progression (Comte, 1893: 322-4); and the substance of such
systems is determined by science. In this, positivism adopts an absolutist
philosophical posture in asserting a monopoly over the means by which social laws
are determined and discussed (Benton and Craib 2001: 13); therefore, only scientific
knowledge is genuine.
Post-Positivist Epistemology: Br eaking Clear Images
Although a diverse school of thought, post-positivism can be broadly defined as the
body of philosophy committed to critiquing positivist epistemology. More
specifically, it rejects the claims of empirical objectivity and the possibility of
discerning natural law through science (Fox 2008). In this, both Kuhn and Foucault
are post-positivists. They argue that scientific knowledge is not simply the result of
the search for causality in observed reality, rather the practice of scientists and
scientific institutions is a subjective, social endeavor and has itself produced a
selective body of knowledge endowed with exclusive legitimacy.