INTEGRATING POSITIVIST AND INTERPRETIVE APPROACHES TO

INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH

The positivist philosophy incurs several limitations when applied to social sciences. It

generalizes a universal statement of truth from observations of a certain number of

positive instances.

The empiricist approach is based on the idea of pure observation that is impossible in

research especially in social sciences, since observations are always subject to

measurement errors (Anderson 1983). It assumes that knowledge is derived from an

objective interpretation of assumptions, without any of the subjective biases or a priori

knowledge of the scientist coming into play.

The interpretive philosophy is based on the belief that science is subjective and allows

alternative models of reality. It emphasizes the creative aspects of science, and in many

ways opposite of the positivist philosophy. As the positivist model dismisses the social

interaction and the researcher's subjective interpretations as irrelevant to the research

process, the interpretive perspective stresses on the importance of such factors for an

understanding of how scientific knowledge develops (Peter and Olson 1983).

REFERENCES

Anderson, P.F. (Fall 1983)": Marketing, Scientific Progress, and Scientific", Method

Journal of Marketing, pp. 18-31.

Attewell, P. (1993) “Information Technology and the Productivity Paradox

“Mimeograph, City University of New York