Sussex Paper
Deepak Tripathi
The philosophy of positivism founded by Auguste Comte (1798-1857) has come under severe criticism in the last 40 years. Criticism in itself of something that is 150 years old is not surprising. A set of theories developed by Comte so long ago is being examined and tested by social scientists now when we have the benefit of the knowledge gained over more than a century. Society has moved on in this period; there are new perspectives and many more minds ready to challenge the old theories. So the post-positivist social scientists are justified in one respect at least.
The sustained, repeated assaults on positivism over many years are quite another matter. In this respect, its critics seem to have exhausted themselves in order to demolish positivism. This raises new questions. What is post-positivism? Is it an exercise to dismiss again and again something that is old and has encountered difficulties when tested in the modern world? Does post-positivism provide a coherent alternative to positivism? Is there anything relevant in the advocacy of a scientific approach in social enquiry that Comte first advocated all those years ago? Full Text
About Me
Author and researcher. I was a BBC journalist for 23 years, from 1977 to 2000, during which I worked as a foreign correspondent, Senior Producer and Chief Sub-Editor. Set up the BBC Bureau in Afghanistan, a country in which I have taken a close interest since the Communist coup in 1978. Author of a major study on the Afghan conflict during the Cold War and the rise of the Taliban and al-Qa'ida in the 1990s. Main interests are South and West Asia and the US.
Member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London & the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom.
Education:
BA in politics, economic, sociology and English from Christian College, Indore (1973).
PG Dip BA from Edinburgh Business School (2002).
Wrote DPhil thesis (2002-2007) entitled ‘Origins of Terrorism: A History of the Afghan Conflict’ at the University of Sussex. Coursework included paper titled ‘The Relevance of Positivism in Social Science’ (71%, Grade A+). Research findings published in ‘Dialectics of the Afghanistan Conflict’ (Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, March 2008).
Post-Graduate study at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (1973-1974).
Affiliations:Member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London & the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom.
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
