operationalism

operationalism
(or operationism )
The reductive and positivist philosophy of science associated particularly with Bridgman . According to operationalism, propositions about theoretical entities such as particles are disguised propositions about the experiences resulting from definite scientific operations. Theoretical terms that are not so definable are to be avoided. Operationalism was supported by the overwhelming importance of Einstein's recognition that we can mean no more by such a notion as absolute simultaneity than we can measure by signals of finite velocity. However, the view is equivalent to the radical empiricism that holds that theoretical entities are logical constructions from experience. It is now widely supposed that this is untenable, and that it is necessary to maintain some logical gap between theory and evidence.

Philosophy dictionary. . 2011.

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  • operaţionalism — OPERAŢIONALÍSM s.n. (fil.) 1. Concepţie gnoseologică neopozitivistă potrivit căreia noţiunile nu pot avea decât conţinut operaţional, întrucât semnificaţiile sunt generate de operaţii intelectuale. 2. Metodologie care pune în evidenţă funcţia… …   Dicționar Român

  • operationalism — n. (Philos.) the doctrine that the meaning of a proposition consists of the operations involved in defining, proving, or applying it. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • operationalism — [äp΄ə rā′shə nəl iz΄əm] n. Philos. the doctrine that no concept or term used in a purportedly factual statement has valid meaning unless it can be defined in terms of repeatable, empirical operations, experimental procedures, etc.: also… …   English World dictionary

  • operationalism — operationalist, n. operationalistic, adj. /op euh ray sheuh nl iz euhm/, n. Philos. the doctrine that the meaning of a scientific term, concept, or proposition consists of the operation or operations performed in defining or demonstrating it.… …   Universalium

  • operationalism — noun Date: 1931 a view that the concepts or terms used in nonanalytic scientific statements must be definable in terms of identifiable and repeatable operations • operationalist noun • operationalistic adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • operationalism — noun A philosophy that attempts to define all scientific concepts in terms of specified operations or procedures of observation and measurement See Also: operationalist …   Wiktionary

  • Operationalism — the philosophy of defining a concept as the operations that will measure the concept (variables) through specific observations …   Mini philosophy glossary

  • operationalism — noun Philosophy a form of positivism which defines scientific concepts in terms of the operations used to determine or prove them. Derivatives operationalist noun & adjective …   English new terms dictionary

  • operationalism — op·er·a·tion·al·ism …   English syllables

  • operationalism — op•er•a•tion•al•ism [[t]ˌɒp əˈreɪ ʃə nlˌɪz əm[/t]] also op er•a′tion•ism n. pho the view that experimental operations must define scientific terms and concepts • Etymology: 1930–35 op er•a′tion•al•ist, n. adj …   From formal English to slang

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