Crafting Theory to Satisfy the Requirements of Explanation

Abstract

Positivism, in defining what it means by "explanation," leads to certain requirements for theory to satisfy. We refer to explanation as defined in the positivist philosopher Carl G. Hempel's deductive-nomological model of explanation. The requirements pertain to the operationalization of a theory, the precision with which a theory needs to be stated, and the composition of a theory. Researchers who consider themselves positivist need to craft their theories to satisfy these requirements. Counterintuitive findings are that the rigor of an explanation and the theory it uses is independent of whether or not they involve statistical analysis, that mathematical operationalizations of behavioral theories suffer from under determination, and that qualitative research can live up to the requirements of positivist explanation.

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