... study of history on a firm methodological foundation (5). Von Ranke thought it was crucial to back up his ideas with proven facts and reliable evidence. Ranke was a positivist and an empiricist. Positivism is a philosophical system that holds that every rational justifiable assertion can be scientifically verified or is capable of logical or mathematical proof. Empiricism is the theory that experience rather than ... ...

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• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate