Philosophy: Positivism and Phenomenology - Essay Example

Positivists believe that all true knowledge is scientific and that all things are ultimately measurable, and that knowledge can be organized in clear and generally accepted ways.  A positivist also tends to believe there is one best way to do things (Bryman & Bell, 2006, 57). Realism is all about accepting an event or situation as it is and preparing to deal with it accordingly (D’Aleo) Realism can thus exist independently of the onlooker. Phenomenology is about getting the deeper reasons behind human actions, concentrating on personal perspective and interpretation (Lester, 2000, 2). It would use personal interviews to get individual perspectives rather than make sweeping generalizations about the reasons behind choices. While measuring the size of the customer segment, it is clear that positivism using a scientific or mathematically verifiable method would be the best way to proceed.

In research projects, both inductive and deductive reasoning can be used to establish hypotheses to be proved or disproved. Inductive reasoning progresses from the specific to the general (www.nakedscience.org). For example, regarding the feedback about their first visits to the Thai restaurant, we can start with the observations of individual opinion leaders or age groups and end by surmising the likelihood that a particular behavior or preference will be endorsed by the majority of the Brighton community of that age group or social segment. Deductive reasoning, by contrast, progresses from the general to the specific (Saunders et al, 2009, 152). We can look at the major reasons why the Thai restaurant is preferred to others in the Brighton area and then concentrate on specific elements that are likely to draw in more customers.