positivism

American  

[poz-i-tuh-viz-uhm] / ˈpɒz ɪ təˌvɪz əm /

noun

1. the state or quality of being positive; definiteness; assurance.

2. a philosophical system founded by Auguste Comte, concerned with positive facts and phenomena, and excluding speculation upon ultimate causes or origins.

---

positivism British  

/ ˈpɒzɪtɪˌvɪzəm /

noun

1. a strong form of empiricism, esp as established in the philosophical system of Auguste Comte, that rejects metaphysics and theology as seeking knowledge beyond the scope of experience, and holds that experimental investigation and observation are the only sources of substantial knowledge See also logical positivism

2. Also called: legal positivism.  the jurisprudential doctrine that the legitimacy of a law depends on its being enacted in proper form, rather than on its content Compare natural law

3. the quality of being definite, certain, etc

---

positivism Cultural  

1. An approach to philosophy frequently found in the twentieth century. Positivists usually hold that all meaningful statements must be either logical inferences or sense descriptions, and they usually argue that the statements found in metaphysics, such as “Human beings are free” or “Human beings are not free,” are meaningless because they cannot possibly be verified by the senses.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonpositivistic adjective
• positivist adjective
• positivistic adjective
• positivistically adverb
• unpositivistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of positivism

First recorded in 1850–55; positive + -ism

Example Sentences

At a crucial moment in “Time of the Magicians,” Eilenberger explains that an entire school of philosophy known as logical positivism was born of this exact misunderstanding of Wittgenstein.

From New York Times

In that, he found positivism essential and said, “What do these kids have to look forward to if we don’t have this outlook?”

From Washington Post

“The positivism of Instagram is dangerous at the best of times – but now it’s even worse.”

From The Guardian

My training in the social sciences implicitly borrows methods of positivism or empiricism that do not just correspond to the human person in an integral fashion.

From Scientific American

When I was in graduate school back in the 1980s, everyone said positivism is dead — although in some ways it actually wasn't.

From Salon

Related Words

• anticipation
• certainty
• confidence
• elation
• enthusiasm
• expectation
• happiness
• idealism
• trust