::>wever,unlikethe.conceptual-schemerelativismthatcharacterizes meotherreactionstopositivism,postpositivistrealismconsidersa eory-independentrealitytoexistandassumesthatourtheoriesofthe JCial)worldcanhelpustounderstanditandare,tosomeextent,de:ndentonit. Insteadofgivinguponreferencetoreality,thiskindofrealismseeks replacethequestforimmediacyentailedbycorrespondencetheories iththemediatedknowledgeofacausaltheoryofreference.Forexnple,ifIhaveatheorythatwaterboilsat 100 degreesCelsius,Iatmptanexperimenttoverifythattheory.Ifthewater·doesnotboil, >methingindependentofmytheory(e.g.,altitude)hasactedonmyexeriment.Ithereforerevisemytheorytotakealtitudeintoaccount.If ltitudewerenotatheory-independentcausalfeatureoftheworld,I ::>uldnotbeforcedtorevisemytheorytoimproveitsaccuracy.Thisis simplifiedexampleofwhatpostpositivistrd1lismmeansby"gaining pistemicaccesstoreality."Usingthiskindofcausaltheoryofre-furnce,realismavoidsthepitfallsofcorrespondenceorrepresentational;ttheories.6Whereasacorrespondencetheoristmightclaimthatthe 6.Inbridgingthesplitbetweenso-calledcontinentalphilosophyandso-calledanarticphilosophy,itisimportanttorememberthatmost"analytic"postpositivistsrecog,izethatthequestionofwaterboilingisasmuchametaphysicalissueasthatof"idenity."Oneofthethesesofpostpositivistrealismisinfactthatthedistinction(heldbymany .nalystsandcontinentalistsalike)betweenempiricalandmetaphysicalquestions(andbeweenepistemicandontologicalquestions)istosomedegreearbitrary,apositionwith upportersanddetractorsamongbothanalystsandcontinentalists. i .... wno l\Ie vu1 vvvu .L �....,Y........
Thetheoreticalnotion"women'slives"refersnotjusttotheexperiencesof women,butalsotoaparticularsocialarrangementofgenderrelationsand hierarchiesthatcanbeanalyzedandevaluated.Thestandpointofwomenin thissociety...isbasedin"women'slives"totheextentthatitarticulates theirmaterialandepistemologicalinterests.Suchinterestsarediscoveredby anexplanatoryempiricalaccountofthenatureofgender-stratification,the waysinwhichitisreproducedandregulated,andtheparticularsocialgroups andvaluesitservestolegitimate.("EpistemicStatus"51)
MichaelR.Hames-Garcia
term"T"correspondstokind"K""outthereintheworld,"acausal theoristwouldclaimthatthecausalpowersof"K""outthereinthe world"conditionthesocialuseof"T."Thissocialuseisthereforeat leastpartlyconventionalandmustcontinuallybeinterrogated,asalternativeusagesaredebatedandevaluatedwithinasocialframework ladenwithpowerrelations. Thuspostpositivistrealismdoesnotclaimthatonecanhaveunmediatedknowledge.Instead,itclaimsthat,throughinterpretationand theorymediationoftheworld,onecanmoreorlessaccuratelygraspthe complexityofthesocialprocessesandmultipleconditiqningthatmake upthe"truth"ofexperience.Atissueinrealism'sunderstandingofsocialidentityarethecoherenceandaccuracywithwhichtheoriesabout groupsaccountfortherealsocialfeaturesofthesystemsofexploitation thatgivethosesocialgroupstheirpoliticalsalience.Applyingarealist analysistosocialidentityinapassageonfeministstandpointepistemology,Mohantywrites,
Twentieth-centurypositivism(alsocalledlogicalempiricism)sought furtheritsfoundationalistprojectbydiscountingtalkofanything 1etaphysical"or"theoretical,"thatis,notempiricallyverifiable.Its proach,likeotherpositivistprojects(e.g.,thetranscendentalphemenologyofHusserlsorightlycritiquedbyDerridaandothers),was searchforimmediateexperience,thatis,experienceoftheworldthat nnowaymediatedbytheoryorpresupposition.Incontrasttoafountionalistapproach,postpositivistrealismputsusintheworldwith ,thingbutourtheoriestomakesenseofthings.Thereisthusanele�ntofcontingencyanduncertaintyinapostpositivistrealistapproach.
Thiskindofrealismentailsarecognitionofthecausallysignificantfactorsofthesocialworldinwhichgroupmembershipsareexperienced (69).Whatdistinguishesthisrealismfrom"naive''realistphilosophical positions(likepositivism)isitsrecognitionthatallknowledgeistheory dependent,thatis,dependentonourtheoriesoftheworld.Thismarks itaspostpositivistandnonfoundational.Postpositivistrealismseesthat therearedifferentwaysthatknowledgecanbeconstructedandseeksa dialecticalmediationofexperiencewiththeunderstandingthat"theoryladenandsociallyconstructedexperiencescanleadtoaknowledgethat isaccurateandreliable"(48).Itcontendsthatanadequateaccountof causalfeaturesofthesocialworld(e.g.,colonialism,racism,sexism,or homophobia)canyieldanaccurate,reliable,andrevisableunderstand-f?ingoftherealityofexperienceanditsconstruction,insteadoftaking reifiedconstructsas"given."Thisdistinguishesitfromculturalrelativism. Keytotheprocessofobtainingthismoreorless"accurateandreliable"knowledgeisrealism'sunderstandingoferror.Ratherthanfearit
:ethatcanguaranteecertaintyforallknowledge.Premisefoundanalismseeksthediscoveryoffoundationalpremisesthatcanformthe frockjustificationforallclaimsdeducedfromthem.Thewill-o'-the;pforallkindsoffoundationalismisabsolute,error-andpresuppo" on-freecertaintyofknowledge(justified,truebelief).
