Nursing Science and Philosophy

Nursing as a Science

• Nursing is a science, meaning it uses a logical, systematic, and coherent approach to solve problems and answer questions.
• Nursing science collects facts and utilizes processes to obtain knowledge.

Nursing and Philosophy

• Philosophy investigates concepts that structure thought processes, foundations, and presumptions.
• It is concerned with the nature of people, scientific knowledge creation methods, and ethics.
• It implies certain "taken for granted" assumptions.

Epistemology

• A branch of philosophy examining the nature and scope of knowledge.
• Regarded as the "theory of knowledge."

Historical Views of the Nature of Science

• Rationalism: Emphasizes the use of reason and logic to ensure truthfulness.
  • Knowledge is based on reasoning and logic.
  • Mathematics is the knowledge paradigm.
  • Genuine knowledge is considered certain.
  • Believes in intuition.
  • Focuses on uncovering the language of the human mind.
  • Assigns categories to language units.
• Empiricism: Focuses on observing reality using the five senses.
  • Knowledge is based on experience and experimentation.
  • Experimental science is the knowledge paradigm.
  • Experience and experimentation are rarely certain.
  • Does not believe in intuition.
  • Analyzes language as it occurs.
  • Assigns probabilities to language units.

Early 12th Century Views of Science and Theory

• Philosophers concentrated on analyzing theory structure.
• Scientists concentrated on empirical research.
• Positivism, which states that information derives from logical and mathematical treatments and sensory experience, was the dominant philosophy of science.

Emergent Views in the Late 20th Century of Science and Theory

• Empiricists argued for objectivity in data collection and analysis, independent of theory.
• Brown challenged the empiricist view by acknowledging the influence of theories on what a scientist observes and interprets.
• Relationship between theories and observation:
  • Scientists passively observe occurrences in the world, with data as objective truth.
  • Theories shape what scientists perceive in the world.
  • Presupposed theories interact with observable data during scientific investigation.

Interdependence Between Theory and Research

• A theory's judgment should be based on scientific consensus.
• Acceptance of scientific hypotheses depends on the coherency of the theory.
• Scientific consensus is necessary for:
  • Defining the theory's boundaries.
  • Understanding the logic in constructing the theory.
  • Assessing the theory's fit with collected data.

Issues in Nursing Philosophy and Science Development

• 1980s: Acceptance of nursing theory and its incorporation into nursing curricula; publication of several nursing journals.
• 1990s: Discussions about nursing as a basic, applied, or practical science.

Progress in the Discipline of Nursing (Meleis)

• Practice: Peplau's "Interpersonal Relations in Nursing" (1952) developed the first theory of nursing practice.
• Education and Administration: Journal of Nursing Research (1952).
• Research: Analysis and debate surrounding metatheoretical issues related to theory development during the 1960s and 1970s.

Contemporary Paradigms in Nursing

• Postpositivism: Focuses on discovering patterns that describe a phenomenon.
• Interpretive Paradigm: Promotes understanding through examining meanings derived from social interaction, emphasizing situation, context, and cognitive constructions.
• Critical Paradigm: Investigates interactions between social, political, economic, gender, and cultural factors, analyzing the impact on health and illness experiences.

Quote By Imre Lakatos

• "Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind."