POSITIVISM

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does positivism mean? 

• POSITIVISM (noun)
  The noun POSITIVISM has 2 senses:

1. the form of empiricism that bases all knowledge on perceptual experience (not on intuition or revelation)

2. a quality or state characterized by certainty or acceptance or affirmation and dogmatic assertiveness

  Familiarity information: POSITIVISM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POSITIVISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The form of empiricism that bases all knowledge on perceptual experience (not on intuition or revelation)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

logical positivism; positivism

Hypernyms ("positivism" is a kind of...):

empiricism; empiricist philosophy; sensationalism ((philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "positivism"):

Comtism (Auguste Comte's positivistic philosophy that metaphysics and theology should be replaced by a hierarchy of sciences from mathematics at the base to sociology at the top)

Derivation:

positivist (someone who emphasizes observable facts and excludes metaphysical speculation about origins or ultimate causes)

positivistic (of or relating to positivism)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A quality or state characterized by certainty or acceptance or affirmation and dogmatic assertiveness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

positiveness; positivism; positivity

Hypernyms ("positivism" is a kind of...):

quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "positivism"):

assertiveness; self-assertiveness (aggressive self-assurance; given to making bold assertions)