positivism
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Positivism \Pos"i*tiv*ism\, n.
A system of philosophy originated by M. Auguste Comte, which
deals only with positives. It excludes from philosophy
everything but the natural phenomena or properties of
knowable things, together with their invariable relations of
coexistence and succession, as occurring in time and space.
Such relations are denominated laws, which are to be
discovered by observation, experiment, and comparison. This
philosophy holds all inquiry into causes, both efficient and
final, to be useless and unprofitable.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906)
POSITIVISM, n. A philosophy that denies our knowledge of the Real and
affirms our ignorance of the Apparent. Its longest exponent is Comte,
its broadest Mill and its thickest Spencer.
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
55 Moby Thesaurus words for "positivism":
Marxism, animalism, atomism, behaviorism, bigotry,
commonsense realism, dialectical materialism, dogmaticalness,
dogmatism, down-to-earthness, earthiness, earthliness, empiricism,
epiphenomenalism, freedom from illusion, hardheadedness,
historical materialism, hylomorphism, hylotheism, hylozoism,
infallibilism, lack of feelings, materialism, matter-of-factness,
mechanism, natural realism, naturalism, new realism,
opinionatedness, peremptoriness, physicalism, physicism,
positive philosophy, positiveness, practical-mindedness,
practicality, practicalness, pragmaticism, pragmatism, rationality,
realism, reasonableness, representative realism, saneness,
scientism, secularism, self-opinionatedness, sensibleness,
sober-mindedness, substantialism, temporality, unidealism,
unromanticalness, unsentimentality, worldliness
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