The main difference between positivism and phenomenology is that positivist research involves scientific and quantitative methods while phenomenological research involves qualitative methods and subjective perspectives of people.
Positivism is the philosophical theory that all knowledge must be verified through scientific methods such as experiments, observations, and logical/mathematical proof. Phenomenology is the philosophical study that attempts to understand the subjective, lived experiences and perspectives of people.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Positivism
– Definition, Features
2. What is Phenomenology
– Definition, Features
3. Difference Between Positivism and Phenomenology
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Positivism, Phenomenology
What is Positivism
Positivism is the philosophical belief that all knowledge must be verified through scientific methods such as experiments, observations, and logical/mathematical proof. All these scientific methods are able to provide empirical, observable, and measurable evidence, which are always subject to principles of logic and reasoning. Therefore, we can also describe positivism as the scientific study of the world. The nineteenth-century French Philosopher Auguste Comte is said to have developed the doctrine of positivism.
According to positivism, things that can be observed with five senses are the only ‘real’ concrete knowledge. Hence, only scientifically and empirically verifiable facts or directly observable and measurable facts are knowledge – everything else is nonexistence. Moreover, positivism rejects concepts like metaphysics, which doesn’t use concrete, observable facts. In a positivistic approach, researchers are limited to objective data collection and interpretation. They are objective analysts and should distance themselves from personal values when conducting the study. Furthermore, in these types of studies, research findings are usually quantifiable and observable.
What is Phenomenology
Phenomenology is the philosophical study that attempts to understand the subjective, lived experiences and perspectives of people. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines it as the “study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view.” It studies the way we experience things. In fact, it is based on the principle that a single experience can be interpreted in multiple ways and that reality consists of each person’s interpretation of the said experience. Hence, phenomenology provides information about unique individual experiences, ultimately offering a detailed and complete description of human experiences and meanings.
Phenomenological research studies take a qualitative approach. Data collection generally involves long and intensive, semi-structured or unstructured personal interviews. Since phenomenology relies heavily on interviews, researchers often have to conduct several interview sessions with each participant. However, the information derived through these interviews may depend on the interviewing skills of the researcher as well as the articulate skills of the participants.
Difference Between Positivism and Phenomenology
Definition
Positivism is the philosophical theory that all knowledge must be verified through scientific methods such as experiments, observations, and logical/mathematical proof. Phenomenology is the philosophical study that attempts to understand the subjective, lived experiences and perspectives of people.
Perception about the World
In positivism, the world is perceived as external and objective, but in phenomenology, the world is perceived to be socially constructed and subjective.
Role of Research
In positivism, the researcher focuses on facts and formulates hypotheses and tests them, whereas, in phenomenology, the researcher focuses on meanings and explores the totality of each individual case.
Research Methods
Positivist research deals with scientific and quantitative methods, while phenomenological research deals with qualitative methods involving subjective perspectives of people.
Conclusion
The main difference between positivism and phenomenology is that positivist research deals with scientific and quantitative methods, while phenomenological research deals with qualitative methods involving subjective perspectives of people. Moreover, in positivism, the researcher focuses on facts and formulates hypotheses and tests them whereas, in phenomenology, the researcher focuses on meanings and explores the totality of each individual case.
Reference:
1. “Positivism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Oct. 2019.
2. Smith, David Woodruff. “Phenomenology.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 16 Dec. 2013.
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1. “Research-letters-scrabble-word” (CC0) via Pixabay
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