<P> Positivism asserts that all authentic knowledge allows verification and that all authentic knowledge assumes that the only valid knowledge is scientific . Thinkers such as Henri de Saint - Simon ( 1760 -- 1825 ) , Pierre - Simon Laplace ( 1749 -- 1827 ) and Auguste Comte ( 1798 -- 1857 ) believed the scientific method , the circular dependence of theory and observation , must replace metaphysics in the history of thought . Émile Durkheim ( 1858 -- 1917 ) reformulated sociological positivism as a foundation of social research . </P>
<P> Positivism asserts that all authentic knowledge allows verification and that all authentic knowledge assumes that the only valid knowledge is scientific . Thinkers such as Henri de Saint - Simon ( 1760 -- 1825 ) , Pierre - Simon Laplace ( 1749 -- 1827 ) and Auguste Comte ( 1798 -- 1857 ) believed the scientific method , the circular dependence of theory and observation , must replace metaphysics in the history of thought . Émile Durkheim ( 1858 -- 1917 ) reformulated sociological positivism as a foundation of social research . </P>
who proposed positive method in social science research
who proposed positive method in social science research
Émile Durkheim
Émile Durkheim