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WHAT IS POSITIVISM? Positivism is a scientific approach to sociology (the science of society As Keat and Urry ('social theory as science', 1975) note: 'Positivism is concerned only with observable phenomena. It involves establishing law-like relations between them through the careful accumulation of factual knowledge. This occurs by means of observation, experimentation, comparison and prediction.' The terms' sociology' and 'positive philosophy' (positivism) were both coined by Auguste Comte (the founder of Sociology), an educated philosopher, born on January 19th 1798 in Montpellier, France. He grew up and studied after a great period of change. There had been the French revolution, the Industrial revolution, an economic upheaval as the outdated feudal system had been replaced by the beginnings of a capitalism, the belief in Christianity was dwindling and scientific discoveries were advancing rapidly. Comte fancied himself as a scientist and thought as the natural sciences have laws which govern them (e.g....

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