Compare and contrast two philosophical paradigms: realism and positivism and explore their implications or lack of implications for modern nursing.Please do not use peer-reviewed articles any more than 5 years old.

There are a number of different philosophical paradigms that can be used to inform nursing practice. In this essay, I will compare and contrast two of these paradigms, realism and positivism, and explore their implications or lack of implications for modern nursing.

Realism is a philosophical paradigm that emphasises the objective reality of the world. This means that realists believe that there is a physical, material reality that exists independently of our perceptions or ideas about it. This objective reality is knowable and can be studied scientifically. Realists also believe that humans are capable of acquiring true knowledge about this reality.

Positivism is a philosophical paradigm that emphasises the scientific method as the only valid way of acquiring knowledge about the world. Positivists believe that only observable, measurable phenomena can be studied scientifically. They also believe that human beings are fundamentally different from other animals and cannot be studied using the same methods.

There are a number of implications of these two paradigms for nursing. Realism implies that nursing is a scientific discipline that can be studied objectively. This means that nurses can use the scientific method to study the effects of their interventions on patients. Realism also implies that nurses can acquire true knowledge about the best way to care for patients.

Positivism, on the other hand, implies that nursing is not a science and that it is not possible to study the effects of nursing interventions objectively. Positivism also implies that nurses cannot acquire true knowledge about the best way to care for patients.

In conclusion, both realism and positivism have implications for nursing. Realism implies that nursing is a scientific discipline that can be studied objectively, while positivism implies that nursing is not a science and that it is not possible to study the effects of nursing interventions objectively.