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

Anthony Scavone

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0333363159 ISBN 13: 9780333363157

Publisher: Palgrave MD, 1987

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

WILLIAM OUTHWAITE is Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University, UK. His previous publications include Understanding Social Life (1975, 2nd edition 1986) and Concept Formation in Social Science (1983).

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave MD
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0333363159
• ISBN 13: 9780333363157
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 145