Discussion

Qualitative research was made possible with the split between the subjective and the objective, as it has by and large sought to develop systematic modes of inquiry about everything that does not seem to conform to the practices of inquiry found in the natural sciences. This chapter summarizes and compares the different philosophies treated in this book: positivism, realism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, pragmatism, structuralism, post-structuralism, and global/local. It also constructs a matrix that includes all of these philosophies. It provides a brief discussion on how to “choose” a philosophical position as a qualitative researcher and whether this is a matter of choice at all (or rather a matter of one’s basic view of humanity and the knowledge produced by humans). The four standard phases of a qualitative research project are presented, and for each phase, specific philosophical issues are discussed.