Interpretive science

Interpretive science, also known as interpretive research, is a normative understanding of the scientific method contrary to positivist science. It concentrates on the individual's definition of a meaning versus a single universal meaning. It employs the methods of hermeneutics and phenomenology, and is commonly applied in fields such as computer science and organization theory. It has varied in popularity, Aristotle developed the basic model of logic and thought in regards to philosophy of science. In the time of Newton it was common for scientists to recognize limitations of human cognitive and reasoning capabilities due to religious convictions. As the popularity of Uniformitarian and secular thought came to prominence during the Enlightenment, scientists called into question the limits on what can be assessed from evidence. In modern times, Interpretive science is largely limited to academic and sociological applications, with scientists in fields such as Biology rejecting normative theory in favor of positivism. Scientists such as Paul Kurtz agree that following the scientific method requires a degree of self criticism. Interpretive science calls into question the ability of an individual to accurately assess all of the data that is processed, without first making a value judgement.
"...a social construction by human actors....this applies equally to researchers...there is no objective reality which can be discovered by researchers and replicated by others, in contrast to the assumptions of positivist science"-G. Walsham
"ll researchers interpret the world through some sort of conceptual lens formed by their beliefs, previous experiences, existing knowledge, assumptions about the world and theories about knowledge and how it is accrued. The researcher’s conceptual lens acts as a filter: the importance placed on the huge range of observations made in the field (choosing to record or note some observations and not others, for example) is partly determined by this filter"-Carroll and Swatman
Applications and issues
Interpretive science is helpful in determining the validity or non-validity of a chain of evidence. It has been criticized for introducing ethical concepts into fields such as psychoanalysis.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu