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The Quest for Evidence-Based Practice?: We Are All Positivists!

College of Social Work, Florida State University, Bthyer{at}fsu.edu

Throughout the history of professional social work in the United States, the field has embraced a positivistic view of science, a view continuing to be held by the mainstream of the profession. All social workers, to some extent, embrace the fundamental tenets of positivism. However, the rhetoric espousing positivistic science has not been matched by corresponding actions on the part of our professional associations. The rise of the evidence-based practice movement provides the field with a wonderful opportunity to dramatically increase the extent to which professional activities in the realms of policy and practice can be more solidly grounded in scientific research. Several specific suggestions are provided to enhance the linkages between science and social work, so that we can move forward in the quest of evidence-based practice.

Key Words: philosophy of science • positivism • Comte • evidence-based practice

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