A Realist Theory of Science (Radical Thinkers) [Paperback]

Roy Bhaskar (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1844672042 | ISBN-13: 978-1844672042 | Publication Date: January 17, 2008

The groundbreaking text that forms the foundation for the philosophical movement of critical realism.

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The philosopher of science Roy Bhaskar has been arguing with admirable zeal and rigor for a realist conception of the world and our cognition of it. (Terry Eagleton )

Compelling reading; and as a contribution to the social sciences it deserves to be widely read. (Times Literary Supplement )

Roy Bhaskar is one of the most original and versatile British philosophers of the post-war generation, and one of the very few whose work is likely to have a really lasting and world-wide impact on philosophy and social science. (Times Higher Education Supplement )

About the Author

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Verso (January 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844672042
• ISBN-13: 978-1844672042
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #882,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the Basic Text on Critical Realism, July 5, 2006

By 

M. Cuellar "Critical Realist Junkie" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Realist Theory of Science (Verso Classics, 9) (Paperback)

If you REALLY want to understand Critical Realism, you have to read this book. Now be warned that it is a difficult read for those without a philosophical background. You will have to reread sections of it several times and it will take you a while to get it. Especially because it is a paradigm shift from what you are thinking now.

If you want to start with something less challenging, you might start with Collier's introduction to Bhaskar's thought.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic in the philosophy of science, October 2, 2009

By 

unaffiliated "unaffiliated" (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Realist Theory of Science (Classical Texts in Critical Realism) (Paperback)

One of the most important contributions to the philosophy of science. Essential reading for philosophically-inclined scientists and social scientists.

5 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Read This Book Unless If You're Going For PhD, June 14, 2004

By 

Mikey (Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Realist Theory of Science (Verso Classics, 9) (Paperback)

This book is the source of a distinct paradigm in management research. The author raised many issues related to the assumptions that had been used as a basis for positivism, and suggests new approach of what he called realist science.

I can bet that 99% of normal people will find this book a mental torture, very few will ever proceed beyond page 2 of this book. If you imagine a long bearded person with long hair, sitting in a room full of books and muttering to himself of something totally incomprehensible while jotting something in a book, THIS is exactly the kind of book that you are going to read. In short, stay away unless if you have a commitment to enhance your knowledge in the philosophy of social science, which is not typical unless if you're enrolled in the first year PhD in Management. Good luck!