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Replacing positivism in medical geography.

David Bennett1

  • 1Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1S 5B6. david_bennett@carleton.ca

Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|April 12, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Logical positivism, often dismissed, may offer valuable insights for medical geography. Re-evaluating this philosophy reveals potential benefits lost through conflation with other concepts.

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Medical Geography
  • Human Geography

Background:

  • The philosophical underpinnings of medical geography are often debated.
  • Logical positivism has been largely discarded in contemporary discourse.
  • Existing critiques often conflate logical positivism with other philosophical stances.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-examine the role and potential value of logical positivism in medical geography.
  • To distinguish logical positivism from mischaracterizations like Comtean positivism and scientism.
  • To propose an alternative interpretation of logical positivism as an oppositional epistemology.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of authoritative texts in medical geography and their human geography sources.
  • Historical and geographical contextualization of logical positivism.
  • Comparative analysis of the 'standard version' versus an alternative interpretation of logical positivism.

Main Results:

  • The 'standard version' of positivism used to critique logical positivism is a mischaracterization.
  • Logical positivism was developed as a deliberate oppositional epistemology.
  • Discarding logical positivism may have led to the loss of valuable approaches in human and medical geography.

Conclusions:

  • A nuanced understanding of logical positivism may benefit medical geography.
  • Further unpacking of the 'standard version' is needed to identify specific impacts.
  • It is premature to detail the precise impacts on medical geography practices or methodologies.

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