Dictionary
pos•i•tiv•ism
Pronunciation: (poz'i-tu-viz"um), [key]—
n.
1. the state or quality of being positive; definiteness; assurance.
2. a philosophical system founded by Auguste Comte, concerned with positive facts and phenomena, and excluding speculation upon ultimate causes or origins.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.