From Positivism to Post-Positivism: Progress or Digression?

Abstract

During the fi rst half of the 20 th century, approaches developed across the social sciences that were strongly infl uenced by positivist ideas. Indeed, it could be said that the very notion of a social science was positivist in origin. Moreover, even aft er positivism's infl uence had waned in many fi elds, in the second half of that century, it continued to exist at the very least as a ghostly presence, serving as a recurrent target for attack in methodological disputes. I begin by briefl y outlining the history of positivist ideas and the various forms they took, along with their implications for the practice of social science. Th en I consider two distinct varieties of 'post-positivism'; one revisionist, the other much more radical. I conclude by considering in what respects these moves beyond positivism represent progress, and whether anything can still be learned from it today.

The Challenges and Future Aspirations of Implementing Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) in the Urban Facilities of Mega Sport Events [MSEs] in Qatar

“…which is a commitment to the significance and practicability of monitoring scientific understanding of any phenomenon, whether it is social, cultural, or other disciplines; thus being able to tackle it into what could be comprehensible. To constantly improve this scientific objective approach, an understanding of the limitations of objective knowledge is essential, because it is continuously changing and growing, therefore prioritizing the need to differentiate credible information from more speculative knowledge claims (Hammersley, 2019).…”

Juxtaposition as a Cornerstone for Approaching Diversity in the Built Environment

“…since the paradigm of knowledge accumulation and epistemology has changed (Hammersley, 2019), thus resulting in many interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research that is broad but not deep. In this paper, prominent theoretical frameworks are visited and linked to the concept of juxtaposition, to understand how it could enhance Diversity in architecture and urban planning, based on a preliminary observation that has developed the research question.…”

“…Diversity had its existence in metropolitan areas, thus making 'Diversity' a concept that architects and planners are addressing in recent projects and research as it closely relates to concepts of identity and sense of being; concepts which need sensitive attention as they could be perceived as likely to be threatened and fade in the globalized world. Such concepts, when studied from the architectural and urban planning perspective are related to the human-social aspect of architecture, an intangible dimension that is difficult to be tested by pure scientific measurements and tools since the original conception of science from a positivist perspective is coined solely with what can be empirically documented (Hammersley, 2019). The emphasis on intangible values cast into form in planning, designing, and constructing buildings and cities has been affected by the redirections and shifts of the intellectual paradigms present in each era.…”

Navigating the landscape of research paradigms: An overview and critique

“…The conventional paradigm, also known as the traditional or mainstream paradigm, or just hard-positivism, is a research approach that is based on a set of commonly accepted assumptions and beliefs about the nature of reality, knowledge, and the scientific method (Hammersley, 2019;Jackson & Dolan, 2021;Park et al, 2020). It assumes that there is an objective reality that can be studied and understood through systematic observation and measurement, and that knowledge can be generated through empirical evidence and logical reasoning.…”

“…Quantitative Methods: The conventional paradigm emphasizes the use of quantitative methods to collect and analyze data. Quantitative methods involve the use of statistical analysis and numerical data to identify patterns and relationships (Bisel & Adame, 2017;Hammersley, 2019).…”