New Philosophies of Social Science: Realism, Hermeneutics and Critical Theory (Theoretical Traditions in the Social Sciences, 1)

The demise of empiricist philosophies of science has contributed to the current disarray of philosophy in the social sciences. This book argues that a realist analysis of the structures and processes which make up the social world can provide a way out of its present impasse. These processes, ranging from the interpersonal negotiation of meaning to the constraining influence of administrative or market structures, cannot be understood as mere constructs either in the minds of the theorist or of the social factors themselves, since they actually generate the social world as we know it. The author develops some implications of this approach and presents a realist view of some of the principal theoretical traditions and controversies within sociology and other social sciences. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-4 Philosophies of Social Science: The Old and the New....Pages 5-18 The Realist Alternative....Pages 19-44 Realism and Social Science....Pages 45-60 Realism and Hermeneutics....Pages 61-76 Realism and Critical Theory....Pages 77-91 Critical Hermeneutics, Realism and the Sociological Tradition....Pages 92-107 Conclusion: Action, Structure and Realist Philosophy....Pages 108-119 Back Matter....Pages 120-137