noun
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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
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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
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the quality of being definite, certain, etc
Other Word Forms
- nonpositivistic adjective
- positivist adjective
- positivistic adjective
- positivistically adverb
- unpositivistic adjective
Etymology
Origin of positivism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Comte believed that humanity would struggle to transition to positivism, as religions provided comforting and meaningful structure and rituals.
From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022
But there are other, more interesting questions to ask: what is Miss World’s place now, in the era of body positivism and fourth-wave feminism?
From The Guardian • Dec. 8, 2019
Then there was Musil the philosophical scientist, interested in probability theory and logical positivism, as well as in the workings of the mind and the soul.
From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2019
For the recordings, Harrison’s signature slide-guitar sound was in full flower, adorning the LP with buoyancy and positivism.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2019
To deny this trait to philosophy seems to many to be the suicide of philosophy; to be a systematic adoption of skepticism or agnostic positivism.
From Creative Intelligence Essays in the Pragmatic Attitude by Bode, Boyd H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.