ABSTRACT
The success of science in unlocking the laws of the natural world and the resulting usefulness of new and far-reaching applications of these natural laws were not lost on those who sought to understand the human and social world. Although the term "positivism" is seldom used today, the beliefs that energized early positivism remain a foundation for modern social science research and its application. The movement from positivism to social science received a strong push from Charles Darwin and the public acceptance of the theory of biological evolution. The development of social sciences needed the bridge provided by Darwin and his reformulated theory of evolution to move from Comte's "positive philosophy" to the positivism that continues to undergird contemporary social science. The ideology of positivism that forms the basic belief system for social science also sets a boundary for the development of welfare policy.
