A Realist Theory of Science
Published on 5. May 2020
286 pages
978-1-78960-353-8 (ISBN)
Description
A Realist Theory of Science is one of the few books that have changed our understanding of the philosophy of science. In this analysis of the natural sciences, with a particular focus on the experimental process itself, Roy Bhaskar provides a definitive critique of the traditional, positivist conception of science and stakes out an alternative, realist position. Since it original publication in 1975, a movement known as 'Critical Realism', which is both intellectually diverse and international in scope, has developed on the basis of key concepts outlined in the text. The book has been hailed in many quarters as a 'Copernican Revolution' in the study of the nature of science, and the implications of its account have been far-reaching for many fields of the humanities and social sciences.
More details
Series
Edition
Ebook UK & RoW
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Reflowable
Readable offline
ISBN-13
978-1-78960-353-8 (9781789603538)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Roy Bhaskar is an independent scholar and founder of the critical realist movement in the social sciences. He is the author of several books, including The Possibility of Naturalism, Reclaiming Reality, Dialectic: The Pulse of Freedom and Philosophy and the Idea of Freedom.
Content
- Cover Page
- Halftitle Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Dedication
- Preface
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Introduction
- 1. Philosophy and Scientific Realism
- 1. Two Sides of 'Knowledge'
- 2. Three Traditions in the Philosophy of Science
- 3. The Transcendental Analysis of Experience
- A. The Analysis of Perception
- B. The Analysis of Experimental Activity
- 4. The Status of Ontology and Its Dissolution in Classical Philosophy
- 5. Ontology Vindicated and The Real Basis of Causal Laws
- 6. A Sketch of a Critique of Empirical Realism
- 2. Actualism and the Concept of a Closure
- 1. Introduction: On the Actuality of the Causal Connection
- 2. Regularity Determinism and the Quest for a Closure
- 3. The Classical Paradigm of Action
- 4. Actualism and Transcendental Realism: The Interpretation of Normic Statements
- 5. Autonomy and Reduction
- 6. Explanation in Open Systems
- Appendix: Orthodox Philosophy of Science and the Implications of Open Systems
- 3. The Logic of Scientific Discovery
- 1. Introduction: On the Contingency of the Causal Connection
- 2. The Surplus-Element in the Analysis of Law-like Statements: A Critique of the Theory of Models
- 3. Natural Necessity and Natural Kinds: The Stratification of Nature and The Stratification of Science
- 4. The Social Production of Knowledge by Means of Knowledge
- 5. Objections to the Account of Natural Necessity Proposed
- 6. The Problem of Induction
- Appendix: Natural Tendencies and Causal Powers
- 4. Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Science
- Postscript to the Second Edition
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index of names
- Index of subjects
