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Positivism vs Functionalism - What's the difference?

positivism | functionalism |

In philosophy terms the difference between positivism and functionalism

is that positivism is 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 while functionalism is the definition of mental states in terms of their causes and effects.

positivism

English

(wikipedia positivism) (legal positivism)

Noun

  • (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.
  • Practical spirit, sense of reality, concreteness.
  • (legal) A school of thought in jurisprudence in which the law is seen as separated from moral values, the law is posited by lawmakers (humans).

    • Antonyms

    * (in philosophy) antipositivism

    Derived terms

    * logical positivism * legal positivism * neopositivism

    functionalism

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • (architecture) A doctrine, in several fields, that the function of something should be reflected in its design and the materials used in its construction
  • (philosophy) The definition of mental states in terms of their causes and effects
  • (social science) The idea that social and cultural cohesion are a function of the interdependence and interactions of the institutions of a society
  • (psychology) A general school of thought that considers psychological phenomena in terms of their role in adaptation to the person's environment