Verified Document

Philosophy Of Science, Paradigm, Epistemology, And Ontology Essay

¶ … Philosophy of Science, Paradigm, Epistemology, and Ontology Note that defining philosophy of science is different from asking you about your personal philosophy of your discipline, such as your philosophy of education, or your philosophy of management.

• The distinction between and among these terms

• An explanation of why these terms are important for researchers to know

Philosophy of science, paradigm, epistemology, and ontology

Philosophy as a discipline concerns itself with understanding the pursuit of knowledge: how we know things and what we can know. The branch of philosophy specifically known as the philosophy of science is concerned with how knowledge deemed to be 'scientific' is constructed. It concerns itself with questions about what constitutes science (versus art, commonsense knowledge, speculation, and superstition); how scientific knowledge is created; and the standards for establishing scientific principles (Definition...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

The notion of a paradigm shift, which "refers either to a model or an example to be followed or to an established system or way of doing things," was developed by Thomas Kuhn to explain how science progresses and changes (Lewis-Beck, Bryman, & Futing 2004). Another way of defining a paradigm might be that of a 'lens' or the particular way in which a group of persons within a specific discipline sees the world, consciously and unconsciously filtering the stimuli around them. But Kuhn's concept of the scientific paradigm was a departure from previous ways of looking at science. "As a reaction against philosophies of science that prescribed the appropriate scientific method, such as Popper's falsificationism, Kuhn (1970) focused on the…

Sources used in this document:
Although scientific knowledge is often viewed as 'objective' or at least more 'objective' than subjective opinion, the ways in which scientific knowledge is created are not written in stone. The notion of a paradigm shift, which "refers either to a model or an example to be followed or to an established system or way of doing things," was developed by Thomas Kuhn to explain how science progresses and changes (Lewis-Beck, Bryman, & Futing 2004). Another way of defining a paradigm might be that of a 'lens' or the particular way in which a group of persons within a specific discipline sees the world, consciously and unconsciously filtering the stimuli around them. But Kuhn's concept of the scientific paradigm was a departure from previous ways of looking at science. "As a reaction against philosophies of science that prescribed the appropriate scientific method, such as Popper's falsificationism, Kuhn (1970) focused on the practices of communities of scientists" (Lewis-Beck, Bryman, & Futing 2004). Instead of science developing in a linear fashion in a quest for ' truth,' Kuhn saw scientific developments as a series of ideological changes, in which there was a radical break with the past when the scientific community as a whole was willing to change long-standing approaches to generating knowledge. Kuhn saw scientists as engaged in a constant negotiation "consisting of their views of the nature of the reality they study (their ontology), including the components that make it up and how they are related; the techniques that are appropriate for investigating this reality (their epistemology); and accepted examples of past scientific achievements (exemplars)" (Lewis-Beck, Bryman, & Futing 2004).

Previously, the philosophy science was viewed primarily through a positivist framework: "in a positivist view of the world, science was seen as the way to get at truth, to understand the world well enough so that we might predict and control it" (Trochim 2006). (This is what Popper meant when he said that if a claim could not be proven false, it could not be proven true, either). Kuhn took what came to be known as a post-positivist view, suggesting that science could be affected by history and a willingness of people (who happened to be scientists) to change: "Post-positivists reject the idea that any individual can see the world perfectly as it really is" (Trochim 2006).

The question of epistemology, or how knowledge can be established, is quite critical to science, given that modern science often attempts to answer questions about the physical world in a manner that can have a demonstrable material impact upon human lives: for example the conditions for demonstrating that
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Caribbean Use ICT How Can Smes in
Words: 4613 Length: 13 Document Type: Research Proposal

Caribbean use ICT How can SMEs in (Caribbean) use ICT to achieve competitive advantage? Literature Review and Conceptual Framework Conceptual Framework Research Philosophy and Paradigm Epistemology Ontology Mixed Methods Primary Data Secondary Data Sampling Techniques and Procedures Data Analysis and Techniques Qualitative Analysis Quantitative Analysis Research Ethics Codes and Policies of Research Ethics Limitations to Methodology Time Plan and Resources The emergence of information and communications technologies or ICTs has a significant influence on different industries and organizations all across the globe. ICT refers to technologies, which

Tourism Research Philosophies and Principles Competing Philosophies...
Words: 2944 Length: 10 Document Type: Assessment

Tourism Research Philosophies and Principles "Competing" Philosophies Impact of Values and Interests on Research The relatively young area of Tourism Research borrows heavily from social science in its use of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods. Previously contrasted with each other, the two methods are increasingly used as complimenting disciplines by researchers attempting to deal with the complexity and global importance of tourism research. Even as researchers seek greater knowledge by Quantitative-Qualitative analyses, their research

Ontology, 1-3 Epistemology and Methodology
Words: 3653 Length: 10 Document Type: Assessment

The research too has to be reliable and valid cohering to an internal and external scientific definition of reality that is more physical and eschews the metaphysical and the abstract. Ontological Basis Positivism accepts a certain reality of existence and insists that this reality can be discovered by universal and immutable scientific / mathematical principles (Tribe, 2009) . Epistemological Basis The researcher has to distance himself as much as possible from his research

Epistemology and Ontology
Words: 1286 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

POSITIVISM vs. INTERPRETIVISM DEBATE Epistemology and Ontology For my part, however, I no longer want to be labeled as a positivist researcher or an interpretive researcher. It is time for us to move beyond labels and to see the underlying unity in what we are trying to achieve via our research methods. The commonalities in my view are compelling and paramount. We ought to celebrate them because they underpin the value of

Social Science Research Are Qualitative and Quantitative
Words: 4883 Length: 16 Document Type: Essay

social science research are qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research is believed to operate from a subjective, constructionist view of reality, whereas quantitative research operates from an objective, positivist viewpoint of the world. There has been quite a bit of debate over the merits of each of these approaches, often with one paradigm belittling the assumptions of the other. The current literature review explores the philosophical foundations of

Neo-Confucianism Is a Philosophy Which Was Born TEST1
Words: 2206 Length: 5 Document Type: Application Essay

Management and Theory Leadership and coaching go hand in many ways because to coach is to lead, and to lead is to coach others. Indeed, leaders and coaches, whatever the title is really theoretical mentoring within the context of a particular organization or activity. For centuries, scholars and philosophers alike have been trying to find a specific and complete definition for coaching and leadership, but have not had much success. True,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now