'Positivism Theory Essay\r'

'Positivism, (also referred to as ‘ charlatanism’) is oftentimes used to indicate that this burn up to concord misdeed is scientific. The term ‘positivism ‘ (or in its much sophisticated image â€Å"Logical Positivism”) is often used to refer to an approach that asserts it utilizes intuition or the scientific method (their version of science) to understand the causes of shepherds crookity and thus the solutions to solving it.\r\nPositivism is an epistemological condition or a theory of knowledge which assets that science is based upon theories that cod been induced from and only from semi trial-and-error evidence or the evidence of the senses (hence the term ‘empirical’ or that which flush toilet be experienced by the senses). Positivists reject any evidence that cannot be tendencyively experienced or observed such(prenominal) as that derived from tradition, faith, magic, religion, philosophy or any other form of knowledge or belief that does not set out an empirical basis.\r\nThus they want to explain criminal deportment by reference to causes that can be observed or measured. Causes have to be hooey and observable †biologic positively chargeds look at biologic observables such as anatomical abnormalities, identifiable familial or gene patterns, bodily vogues etc. mental positivists depart also look at biological observables but will add behavioural factors, baby rearing practices and brain abnormalities that cause identifiable behaviour outcomes.\r\nMany modern scientists have virtually hangdog positivism in favour of what we call the hypothetico-deductionist approach or a falsficationist approach. This approach begins with theoretic conjectures (or hypotheses) and wherefore seeks to prove or disprove them by mean of empirical evidence. However, whatever the differences in method two positivism and hypothetico-deductionism seek empirical evidence for their theoretical positions. Impl icit in these approaches is the idea that the scientist is an objective lens free-handed observer of lifelike events with no preconceptions about them.\r\nIn the case of physics these natural events or laws ar said to be found in genius itself as, for example, in the subject of such phenomena as the movement of the planets around the Sun, the effect of gravity on the tides and the phenomenon of the seasons created by the movement of the Earth around the Sun. In these cases the object of watch is seen as governed by universal natural laws which the scientist has to discover. When this approach is applied in the pitying or social sciences we have to understand our object of study (i. e. human beings or societies) as also governed or regulated by rules that the scientist has to discover.\r\nThus Biological Criminologists will use data from such sources as equalise studies, family studies, genetic patterns, biochemical aspects and so on †anything that can be studied by mea ns of ‘objective’, methods and which may throw up some biological explanation of that behaviour or a tenet or a law that explains that behaviour. It follows that in positivist criminality, ‘criminals’ are identified as certain kinds Of human beings who are governed by events or natural phenomena that have been set in place by something outdoor(a) to them and, in a sense, beyond their control.\r\nThus ‘criminals’ do not make decisions about their criminal behaviour they are, as it were, caused to behave in this way by factors that operate in a sense, ‘behind their backs’. Thus, so-called abstract views of human nature such as that they are rational and use reason in making choices about their actions have to be put away as a cause of behaviour in favour of non-rational causes such as determination by such things as biological inheritance or forms of social conditioning or, in many cases, a combination of both (as in Eysenck).\r\ nPositivists aim is to key out those with criminal tendencies †or those already classified as criminals and use them as their data base. Their goal is to mark off what has caused their criminality and then to look for ways of ‘correcting’ such criminality or, even better, to ascertain those with tendencies for criminality (before hopefully they commit a crime) and to put some preclusive measures in place. Biological positivists generally look for biological causes generally in genetic inheritance. A head know example is that of ‘Klinenfelter’s Syndrome’ where a study of known criminals identified was said to be an exceptional ‘y’ chromosome.\r\n'