Compare Mach’s version of positivism with Comte’s
Positivism is a philosophical theory which states that information derived from the sense experiences is the source of positive knowledge. Comte also claimed that sense experience is responsible for the development of human knowledge. According to him, positivism states that empirical observations are responsible for attaining knowledge. On the other hand, Mach believed that the physical world cannot be experienced directly.
The views of Comte and Mach over positivism differ. The differences in their views are tabulated below.
| COMTE’S POSITIVISM | MACH’S POSITIVISM |
| Comte was a positivist who claimed that only those events that are publicly observable can be directly experienced. | Mach was also a positivist, but he believed that the physical world cannot be experienced directly. |
| According to him, scientific data are observable, can be trusted and help to improve the society. | According to him, it is the job of scientists to describe the relationship among mental phenomenon. |
| He said that understanding the human behavior and nature has reduced psychology into physiology, and then into sociology. | He said that positivism has reduced philosophy of science into logical positivism. |