Positivist Philosophy

Abstract

This chapter introduces the reader to positivist philosophy which underpins much of quantitative methodology and designs in research. The chapter is divided into five sections. The first section discusses the origin of scientific research and the rejection of metaphysics in research. The second section describes the key tenets of positivist philosophy while the third section distinguishes positivist philosophy from other research paradigms. The gaps in positivist philosophy and the paradigm war that led to the emergence of interpretive and pragmatist philosophies are highlighted in detail. The characteristics of interpretivist and pragmatist philosophies are partly discussed in sections four and five.