Explaining Society: Critical Realism in the Social Sciences

by Berth Danermark, Mats Ekström, Jan Ch. Karlsson

Fully revised, with an updated bibliography and new, relevant illustrative examples based on work inspired by critical realism, this new edition of Explaining Society constitutes an up-to-date resource connecting methodology, theory, and empirical research. Including discussions of more recent scholarship in the field which connects critical realism with interdisciplinary research, this second edition also clarifies concepts – such as retroduction and retrodiction – so as to render them consistent with developments within critical realism, which are covered in a new chapter. An accessible account of the nature of society and social science, together with the methods used to study and explain social phenomena, Explaining Society will appeal to scholars of sociology, philosophy, and the social sciences more broadly.

Genres: Sociology, Philosophy

228 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2001

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent explanations of Bhaskar's philosophy in relation to the social sciences. Any philosopher of science or anybody interested in the theoretical framework and methodology of the social sciences will like this. People who want to learn more about how to study the relationship between human agents and social structures should take a look at this too.

[Görkem Saylam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explaining Society | Mats Ekström
Scoring Rubric
1: baseline
2: creative contextualization bcs of covering almost all theories on making science in social sciences to highlight advantages of critical realism
1: routine conceptualization bcs of no new holistic and groundbreaking comprehension on critical realism, only application in social sciences
4: total points by 5

[Marinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible resource for better understanding Critical Realism.