Positivism

Auguste Comte (1798-1857) was the first to formulate the positivist approach. He proposed that society develops through three stages:

The theological or fictitious stage. Phenomena are explained through local supernatural agents (gods).
The metaphysical stage. Phenomena are explained through the action of a single abstract divinity rather than local gods.
The ‘positive’ age. Phenomena are explained by natural laws that govern behaviour. This is based on observation and reason.

There are different strains of positivism, but they all hold the following basic principles:

Observation is the basis of all non-mathematical knowledge.
Theories are based on observations and can be either verified or falsified through logical processes such as statistical analysis.
Causality is nothing more than the repeated concurrence of one event followed by another. Positivism rejects the usual recognition of cause as metaphysical baggage.
A suspicion of theories that were non-observable. Theoretical generalisations must, at best, be considered mere hypotheses.
The method can be applied as effectively to the humanities as the physical sciences.
Denial of metaphysics.

Logical Positivism

In Comte’s positivism, there is a hierarchy or pyramid of knowledge, and the laws or principles of each branch of science depend on the branch below, starting with Mathematics at the base and finishing with Sociology at the pinnacle. This was referred to as the unity of laws.