Unearthing the Bedrock of Scientific Inquiry with this Key Philosophical Assumption
March 8, 2023
Question: This philosophical assumption of science is defined as objective observation and measurement.
Answer: “empiricism.”
There are six attitudes of science, and empiricism is what knowledge is built upon. It requires objective observation and measurement. Something empirical is based on objective observation and measurement. This assumption of science is a big part of ABA. Because, like all science, ABA takes an experimental database scientific approach, empiricism is critically important to us. In fact, what makes our field scientific is this reliance on empirical evidence. When you think of the word “evidence,” think of the word “data”. Data equals evidence. Data also equals facts. Facts as evidence gives us empiricism. If you like to say things like, “I always do that,” then you’re not really basing that self-assessment on any sort of empirical evidence. But, if you measure your own behavior and find that you do that thing, 80% of the time, then your statement is empirically validated; it is based on facts derived from, hopefully, an experiment. Therefore, you’ve got experimental evidence, which gives you empiricism.
Empiricism is what makes our science evidence-based.
