positivism Hear it!

positivism Definition

posi·tiv·ism (päz′ə tiv iz′əm)

noun

  1. the quality or state of being positive; certainty; assurance
  2. overconfidence or dogmatism
  3. a system of philosophy basing knowledge solely on data of sense experience; esp., a system of philosophy, originated by Auguste Comte, based solely on observable, scientific facts and their relations to each other: it rejects speculation about or search for ultimate origins

Etymology: Fr positivisme < positif

positivism Related Forms
pos′i·tiv·ist noun, adjective pos′i·tiv·is′·tic adjective
positivism Law Definition

n

The view that true knowledge comes from studying observable traits and actions rather than through reasoning or speculating.
positivism Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • logical: His most obvious achievement was to have been a major force in bringing about the final demise of logical positivism.
  • mystical: In mystical positivism, the errors of both are combined together to form a potent ' grand narrative ' for our age.
  • legal: On Hart's account of legal positivism, however, a private citizen may adopt this detached attitude toward legal rules.
  • second: The mid-1860s marks the beginning of the " Second Positivism " .
  • scientific: Many economists avoid this by adhering to a strict scientific positivism.
  • early: Gray goes back to the origins of our notion of modernity in early nineteenth-century Positivism.