Slide 1
Table 8.2 - altered (based on distance learning materials)
| Positivism | Realism |
| Has a simple ontology:
That that which is observed is that which must exist. (and that those 'things' exhaust all that can exist! rejecting metaphysics) |
Has a range of different things in its ontology (ie like people; socially-situated discourses that interweave with people's minds and bodies; attitudes; moods; historical tensions) |
| Epistemology is usually (at present) falsificationist. This presumes both the underlying existence of the 'things' referred to in the hypotheses; and also presumes that testing the hypothesis unproblematically reifies these things and can be conclusive about their interrelationship, e.g. whether 'gender' influences 'capacity for IQ test scores'. | Epistemological assumptions are highly debated among realists. Many recognise that relativism is appropriate when looking at epistemic claims, ie at those claims which relate to truth and falsehood. In other words, (a) realists question induction as leading unproblematically to facts -- multiple interpretations are possible; and (b) realists question whether A's truth is necessarily going to coincide with B's awareness about the same thing. |
| Their purpose is to gather facts whilst rejecting falsehoods | Their purpose is to improve the social world in its holistic entirety. This involves seeking truths which are ethically not relative (or at least ethically interesting) whilst admitting the fallibility of the knowledge claims that are explored. |
Slide 2 compares these two polar positions with two other possible positions in the philosophy of science -- voluntarism and idealism.
Slide 3 cites various sources. It also provides printable materials on these and related topics.