Course

Year

: O0242/Philosophy and Ethics

Communication
: November 2013

PHILOSOPHY PERSPECTIVES IN
COMMUNICATION SCIENCE
Session 3

I. Perspective

Perspective means point of view or how our view of certain things

Perspective is always ahead of our observations
Consequences of perspective said significantly:
= What we know is not the absolute truth
= We do not discover reality but rather creates reality
When we do research communications, then we observe the object
communication according to a certain way and not by / other type
We observe objects with certain types of communication
The use of "perspective, and not a theory, obliges us to respect and
tolerate the differences in outlook and wise use various methods of
approaching objects of communication that we observed, or in other
words wisdom to no longer pretend to measure or as free of value in
analyzing social phenomena, especially science communication.

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Optical Illusion Images in Applying

Perspective

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II. Perspective of Science Communication

2.a General Perspective

There are several perspectives on science, the
following will be reviewed by using two metatheory
(not including axiology), which is about the reality
(ontology), and of how to achieve a knowledge
(epistemology),

1. Realism
2. Nominalism
3. Constructivism
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1. Realism
Ontology = object as it is, already there for what it is,
without any intervention of an idea of the observer
Epistemology = people prove their knowledge by
comparing it with reality of ontological knowledge, in
other words, deny the role of observer as the subject
in the study
Consequence = Values, beliefs, emotions and anything
that is prohibited from engaging the subject observer
while observing

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2. Nominalism

Nominalist assume: the social world is external to the perceptions

of individuals, made up no more than names, concepts and labels
are used to construct the structure of reality
Ontology: For the nominalist, there is no world out there but only a
name or label made by individual entities; Individuals decide
whether exist or not reality
Epistemology :

Subjectivity
Inclined to use ethnographic methods
Social world is essentially relative, and can only be understood from the
perspective of individuals who are directly involved in the activity studied

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3. Constructivism
Ontology; we will never understand about the true reality,
which we understand is the structure of our construction (in
the idea) of an object
Epistemology; whether is known is not a reality there
stand-alone, but the fact is understood by those who capture
the reality (meaning); Reality never existed apart from the
observer
Then, what about the truth? How do people know that what
we construct is correct? Truthy placed on viability, ie the
ability of a concept or knowledge of operations by specific
levels (depending of the limits of ones knowledge)

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2.b Communication Science Perspective

Evolving perspectives on science communication is

very diverse, but in this course will be limited to the
perspective-related research, including positivism,
post-posistivisme, interpretive, constructivism, and
critical theory

1.Starting from positivism that adopt the methods of

natural sciences, dan then criticized for being too
look for facts and causes of social phenomena but
not consider the circumstances of individual
subjects. The next emerging post-positivism
(Critical Realism), who criticize positivism. It is
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believe science can learn on their own reality / out
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2. Post-positivism (critical realism) trying to fix the errors of

positivism: that the purpose of science is to uphold the
conviction of the reality that exists, not just reveal the
truth. therefore, the main characteristics of this
perspective is "search for meaning behind the data
3. Interpretive phenomenology: a qualitative review
holistically / find the essence and included moral values in
the observation
4. Critical Theory with weltanschauung (world view) that
claim the injustice for the sake of building justice
5. Constructivism: Being is our interpretation of reality
outside ourselves that are constructed

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III. Endnotes
The perspectives above derive a number of
communication theory
Eg perspective positivism and post-positivism that derive
structuralism-functionalism theory
perspective of positivism and post-positivism believes that
it is a real social structure and function in ways that can be
observed objectively
structuralism rooted in the science of language, emphasis
on the regularity of language or social systems of a society
functionalism is rooted in biology, emphasizing the ways of
organizing systems.
connectedness of the two perspectives generate rules,
that create change in one variable changes in other
variables
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 Functionalism has distinctive features:

= Imperative synchrony in reality (the reality has not changed)
= Do not believe the role of subjectivity and consciousness in
reality, focus on factors outside the subject and consciousness
= Reality separate and independent (found the truth through
observation)
= Separating the language of symbols and the symbols of ideas
and objects that symbolized
Constructivist Perspective interpretive and interactionist
theories that view the lowering of social life as a process of
interaction (communication core basic social structure)

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