Essays and Reflections

The Paradigm Dialog

Egon Guba, ed.

This volume is not so much a book per se as it is a collection of essays with a similar theme, namely, that of refuting positivism. So we will only deal with the first chapter or article that describes the positivist paradigm and alternatives to it.

Elements of a Paradigm

A paradigm assumes the answers to three basic questions:

1. Ontological: the nature of reality; what is real?
2. Episemological: the nature of knowledge; what is the relationship between the knower and the known?
3. Methodological: the nature of how; how does one go about finding knowledge.

Positivist Paradgim:

1. Realism: there is a real world out there that needs to be discovered. It is governed by immutable natural laws and mechanisms.
2. Objectivism: since there is a real world out there, it must studied objectively; the inquirer must maintain a distant, non-interacting stance. Values and othe biasing factors are thereby excluded from influencing the picture.
3. Experimental/Manipulative: questions and hypotheses are stated in advance and subjected to empirical test (falsification) under carefully controlled conditions.

Post-Positivist Paradigm:

1. Critical realism: there may be a real world out there driven by natural laws, but it's impossible for humans to truly know it.
2. Modified objectivity: Critical Community - one person may not be very objective, but hopefully a bunch of people together are more objective.
3. Modified experimental/manipulative: critical multiplism (many sources); more studies in the natural setting, more qualitative methods, more grounded theory, reintroduce discovery.