positivism

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French positivisme, from positif (“positive”). Equivalent to positive +‎ -ism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɒzɪtɪvˌɪzm/
• IPA^(key): /ˈpɑzɪtɪvˌɪzm/

Noun

positivism (countable and uncountable, plural positivisms)

1. (philosophy) A doctrine that states that the only authentic knowledge is scientific knowledge, and that such knowledge can only come from positive affirmation of theories through strict scientific method, refusing every form of metaphysics.
   • 2012, Lydia Pyne, Stephen J. Pyne, The Last Lost World, Penguin, →ISBN:

     History, and its literary expression, narrative, were not scientific, and so did not deserve the attention that true sciences did. Only science could yield positive knowledge—hence the passion for positivism, and the origin of the term.

2. (law) A school of thought in jurisprudence in which the law is seen as separated from moral values; i.e. the law is posited by lawmakers (humans); legal positivism.

Antonyms

• (in philosophy): antipositivism

Derived terms

• logical positivism
• legal positivism
• neopositivism

Translations

philosophical doctrine

• Armenian: պոզիտիվիզմ (hy) (pozitivizm)
• Catalan: positivisme (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 實證主義／实证主义 (zh) (shízhèngzhǔyì), 实证主义 (zh) (shízhèng zhǔyì)

• Czech: pozitivismus m, pozitivizmus m
• Dutch: positivisme (nl) n
• Finnish: positivismi (fi)
• French: positivisme (fr) m
• German: Positivismus (de) m
• Greek: θετικισμός (el) m (thetikismós)
• Italian: positivismo (it) m
• Japanese: 実証主義 (ja) (じっしょうしゅぎ, jisshōshugi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kazakh: позитивизм (pozitivizm)
• Korean: 실증주의(實證主義) (siljeungjuui)
• Polish: pozytywizm (pl) m
• Portuguese: positivismo (pt) m
• Romanian: pozitivism (ro) n
• Russian: позитиви́зм (ru) m (pozitivízm)
• Slovak: pozitivizmus
• Spanish: positivismo m
• Swedish: positivism (sv)
• Tagalog: pagkamakatahas
• Vietnamese: chủ nghĩa thực chứng (主義實證)
• Welsh: positifiaeth f

school of thought in jurisprudence — see legal positivism

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} Positivismus (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}