201104

Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

1987

137 Pages

ISBN 978-0-333-36315-7

Contemporary Social Theory

New philosophies of social science

realism, hermeneutics and critical theory

William Outhwaite

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 thesocial 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.

Publication details

Full citation:

Outhwaite, W. (1987). New philosophies of social science: realism, hermeneutics and critical theory, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Outhwaite William

1-4

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Philosophies of social science

Outhwaite William

5-18

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The realist alternative

Outhwaite William

19-44

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Realism and social science

Outhwaite William

45-60

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Realism and hermeneutics

Outhwaite William

61-76

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Realism and critical theory

Outhwaite William

77-91

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Conclusion

Outhwaite William

108-119

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