What is Positivist Epistemology. 1. Also referred to as “positivism,” refers to the school of research thought that sees observable evidence as the only form of defensible scientific findings.Positivist epistemology, therefore, assumes that only “facts” derived from the scientific method can make legitimate knowledge claims.lso referred to as “positivism,” refers to the school of research thought that sees observable evidence as the only form of defensible scientific findings.