Heidegger’s Theory of Truth and its Importance for Quality of Qualitative Research




Rauno Huttunen, Leena Kakkori

PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd

2020

Journal of Philosophy of Education

54

3

17

0309-8249

1467-9752

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12429

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-9752.12429

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/46820942



When reliability and validity were introduced as validation criteria for empirical research in the human sciences, quantitative research methods prevailed, and theory of science relied on neopositivism (Vienna Circle) or postpositivism (scientific realism). Within this worldview, notions of reliability and validity as criteria of scientific goodness were introduced. Reliability and validity were associated with the correspondence theory of truth, which is mostly ill-suited to the needs of qualitative research. For that reason, qualitative research must look for other kinds of validation criteria. The article elaborates the problems arising when the correspondence theory of truth is used as an ultimate criterion in evaluating qualitative research and proposes Heidegger’s hermeneutical or alethetical idea of truth as a more suitable approach.


Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 11:24