PROCESS OF KNOWING BASED ON METHODOLOGICAL NATURALISM: CONTEXT TO NURSING INQUIRY

Author Name: Jestoni D. Maniago

Volume: 01 &  Issue:

Country: KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

DOI NO.: NA, DOI Link: http://doi-ds.org/doilink/08.2020-25662434/

Affiliation:

1. Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University 11952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
   Email: maniagojestoni@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This paper is intended to discuss the utility of naturalism in the context of nursing research. The methodological philosophy is based on the worldview that is concerned not with claims about what exists but with methods of learning what nature is. It is strictly the idea that all scientific nursing endeavors—all hypotheses and events—are to be explained and tested by reference to natural causes and events. The genesis of natureis not addressed in this paper. It seeks only to provide a framework within which to conduct the scientific nursing study rooted on the laws of nature. Methodological naturalism,as a way of acquiring knowledge, is a distinct system of thought concerned with a cognitive approach to reality, and is thus a philosophy of knowledge. The research participants are named as other learners who: (a) are viewed standing on equal posts in the culture; (b) feels comfortable; and (c) are also learning in the context of the same environment. The research procedures involve: (a) awareness of natural understanding; (b) main learner’s partial immersion; (c) other learner’s equalization; (d) learning binning; (e) learning tagging; (f) major learner’s reflection; and (g) revalida of the natural understanding. Therefore, it can be construed that logical positivism or logical empiricism in nursing can be regarded as a species of naturalism having the fewest ontological commitments, but should be carefully distinguished from the naturalistic paradigm which regards a different ontology, epistemology, axiology and methodology.

Key words: naturalism, nursing research, participants as learners