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Full Idea
Positivism is the doctrine that the content of scientific propositions is exhausted by what can be immediately experienced.
Gist of Idea
Positivism says science only refers to immediate experiences
Source
Harré,R./Madden,E.H. (Causal Powers [1975], 2.I)
Book Ref
Harré,R/Madden,E.H.: 'Causal Powers: A Theory of Natural Necessity' [Blackwell 1975], p.28
A Reaction
The simple thing missing from positivism is inference to the best explanation. Also, if you actually rule out other propositions as 'meaningless', you rule out speculation, which would certainly cripple science.
| 12111 | Positivism is the final state of human intelligence [Comte] |
| 12106 | Positivism gives up absolute truth, and seeks phenomenal laws, by reason and observation [Comte] |
| 7491 | The phases of human thought are theological, then metaphysical, then positivist [Comte, by Watson] |
| 15873 | Laws of nature are just records of regularities and correlations, with concepts to make recording them easier [Mach, by Harré] |
| 15236 | Positivism says science only refers to immediate experiences [Harré/Madden] |
| 3855 | Critics attack positivist division between theory and observation [Newton-Smith] |
| 3854 | Positivists hold that theoretical terms change, but observation terms don't [Newton-Smith] |
| 4222 | If all that exists is what is being measured, what about the people and instruments doing the measuring? [Lowe] |