Anyone who emphasizes facts that can be proven scientifically rather than hypothetical origins of information: A positivist maintains that sense perceptions are the only legitimate admissible basis of human judgment and precise thoughts.

Some positivists say that valid insight depends on observable facts and the sciences, beginning with mathematics and concluding with the social behaviors of humans.

A reference to the idea that the only real knowledge people possess is scientific knowledge: Positivist thinkers are said to believe that all principles are derived from physical experiences; so, the physical world can be nothing more than a generalization of sensory experiences.