Difference Between Positivism and Interpretivism

Thekey difference在实证主义和解释主义之间positivism recommends using scientific methods to analyze human behavior and society whereas interpretivism recommends using non-scientific,定性方法to analyze human behavior.

Positivism and interpretivism are two important theoretical stances in社会学. Both these theories help in social research that analyses the behavior of human beings in society. While positivism views social norms as the foundation of human behavior, interpretivism views humans as complex creatures whose behavior cannot be explained by socialnorms.

内容

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.什么是实证主义
3.What is Interpretivism
4.Side by Side Comparison – Positivism vs Interpretivism in Tabular Form
5.概括

实证主义是什么?

Positivism is a theory that states all authentic knowledge can be verified through scientific methods such as observation, experiments, and mathematical/logical proof. The term positivism was first used by the philosopher and sociologist Auguste Comte in the early 19th century. Comte was of the view that human society has passed through three distinct stages: theological, metaphysical, and scientific, or positive. He believed that society was entering the later stage, where a positive philosophy of science was emerging as a result of advances in scientific inquiry and logical thinking.

Moreover, there are five basic principles at the foundation of positivism:

1.所有科学的查询逻辑都是相同的。
2. The aim of science is to explain, predict and discover.
3.科学知识是可以检验的，即可以通过经验手段验证研究。
4.科学不等于常识。
5. Science should remain free of values and should be judged by logic.

Furthermore, in social research, positivism refers to an approach to the study of society through scientific methods. In research, positivists prefer quantitative methods such as structured questionnaires, social surveys, and official statistics. Moreover, positivists consider the social sciences to be as scientific as the natural sciences. The scientific methods they use in research involve generating theories and hypotheses and then testing them using direct observations or empirical research. More importantly, these scientific methodologies allow them to gain trustworthy, objective and generalizable data.

What is Interpretivism?

解释主义是一种更定性的社会研究方法。解释主义者认为个人是复杂而复杂的人，而不仅仅是对外部社会力量反应的木偶。根据他们的说法，个人以不同的方式体验相同的现实，并且他们通常具有不同的行为方式。因此，解释主义指出，科学方法不适合分析人类行为。

解释主义规定了定性方法，例如参与者观察和非结构化访谈，以分析人类的行为和社会。此外，解释主义者认为，人类对世界的知识是在社会上建立的。对于他们来说，知识不是客观的或没有价值的，而是通过话语，思想和经验传播。

实证主义和解释主义有什么区别？

Positivism is a sociological approach that states that one should study the human behavior and society using scientific methodology, as in natural sciences. Interpretivism, on the other hand, is a sociological approach that states it is important to understand or interpret the beliefs, motives, and actions of individuals in order to understand social reality. In other words, while positivists try to treat sociology as a science dealing in numbers and experiments, interpretivists criticize this approach and say that sociology is not a science and human behavior cannot be explained through quantification. Therefore, this is the key difference between positivism and interpretivism.

此外，实证主义和解释主义之间的进一步差异是他们使用的研究方法。实证主义使用统计，调查和问卷等定量方法，而解释性主义则使用定性方法，例如参与者观察和非结构化访谈。

The infographic below contains a more detailed presentation of the difference between positivism and interpretivism.

摘要 - 实证主义与解释主义

根据实证主义，可以通过科学方法研究社会和人类行为。但是，解释性主义指出，只能使用更多定性和非科学方法来研究人类行为。此外，尽管实证主义者认为人类行为可以通过社会规范来解释，但解释主义者认为人类是复杂的生物，其行为不能用社会规范来解释。因此，这是实证主义和解释主义之间差异的摘要。

Reference:

1.克罗斯曼，阿什利。“社会学研究中实证主义的演变。”ThinkCo，2018年1月8日，Available here.
2. M, Paulina. “Interpretivism in Sociology: Definition & Origin.” Study.com,Available here.
3. “Positivism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Aug. 2017,Available here.