Underpinning philosophies

Question 1

What philosophies underpin quantitiative research? (x5)

Answer 1

Positivism
Scientific realism
Empiricism
Objectivism
Falsification

Question 2

What philosophies underping qualitative research? (x5)

Answer 2

Interpretivism
Critical realism
Subjectivism
Metaphysics
Hermeneutics

Question 3

What is Pragmatism?

Answer 3

Philosophical belief that counts as knowledge is determined by its usefulness (Barnes, 2009)

Different philosophies for research will affect whether a researcher believes their research is useful or not e.g. useful because of high validity determined by how objective a study is? Or its relevance to human lives?

Question 4

Define Objectivism and Subjectivism.

Answer 4

Objectivity:
Impartiality, unbiased and no inclusion of emotion or opinions; but also the careful gathering and evaluation of data/evidence/information to present a ‘balanced’ argument , value-free BUT in human geography, it means knowledge that is historically, socially constructed out of specific projects in particular times and places (Pickles, 2009)

Subjectivity:
The inclusion of emotions and experience, acknowledging positionality and situated knowledges; encouraging reflexivity and ethical geographies; identities and opinions; ideologies and understandings; argued by HG that ALL GEOGRAPHY presumes some notion of it (Pratt, 2009)

Question 5

Define Positivism and Interpretivism.

Answer 5

Positivism:
August Comte (early 19th century) only scientific knowledge is authentic knowledge; denying validity to metaphysical (non-scientific) speculation; importance of observation, falsification, reproducibility (Barnes, 2009)

Interpretivism:

Question 6

Define Scientific and Critical Realism.

Answer 6

Bassett and Gregory (2009)

Scientific:
Belief in an external world that exists and acts independently of our knowledge of it or beliefs about it; comes in many forms; asserts the existence of various observable and unobservable entities of which it claims to be capable of giving the best representations

Critical:
Asking what reality must be like to make the existence of science and its successes possible, rejects positivistic views of causality as constant; make distinction between the empirical (experienced events) and the real (deeper dimension of objects and stuff that produce events).

Question 7

What is Empiricism?

Answer 7

Experience of the outside world is above all else as the basis of knowledge, truth and method; associated with scientific theory and hypothesis testing.

Associated with John Locke (mid-17th century) - tabula rasa guy too

(Barnes, 2009)

Question 8

What is Falsification?

Answer 8

Popper (1960s)
Criterion to demarcate science from non-science; statements that cannot be falsified (proven wrong) are not scientific.
Against verification and logical positivism; based on premise that it is impossible to have all knowledge, no-one is omnipotent, so we cannot possibly know for sure that discoveries are completely true as new discoveries in the future might be made (Barnes, 2009)

Question 9

What are Hermeneutics, and what is meant by metaphysical?

Answer 9

Hermeneutics:
To contest empiricism/positivism of spatial science; the recognition of the importance of interpretation, open-mindedness and a judicious, reflexive sensibility; deriving from dialogical, reflexive and presuppositional approaches (Barnes, 2009)

Metaphysical = based on abstract/speculative reasoning; highly abstract or theoretical; immaterial; incorporeal; supernatural (Gregory, 2009)

Question 10

What literary examples can I use to demonstrate the different philosophies within research?

Answer 10

Qualitative - hermeneutics, subjectivity, metaphysics, interpretivism

Cloke (2000) on reflexivity and homelessness; use of ethnographies
Cloke (2002) on spiritual, ethical and moral geographies, ‘sense for the other’
Valentine (2005) - ethics, morals, spirituality; combine academic lives with everyday lives?
England (1994) - reflexivity, positionality, feminist research

Quantitative - empiricism, positivism, objectivism (attempted):
Scientific journals like ‘Nature Geoscience’; writers focusing on geological processes and events based on mathematical deduction, graphs, statistical signifiance of data and samples; logical reasoning and thought processes, based on nothign but previous discovery and what the data shows/suggests
e.g. cryospheric science, hydrology, geology, ecology