After postmodernism : an introduction to critical realism / edited by José López and Garry Potter.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

López, José, 1966-

Potter, Garry, 1955-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Critical realism.

Physical Description:

vii, 339 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Athlone, 2001.

Summary:

What comes after "postmodernism"? A buzzword which began as an energising, radical critique became, by the 20th Century's end, a byword for fracture, eclecticism, political apathy and intellectual exhaustion. The last few years have seen growing interest in critical realism as a possible, alternative way of moving forward. The virtues of critical realism lie in its successful provision of a philosophical grounding for the social sciences and humanities and of a methodology applicable to many different fields of analysis. After Postmodernism brings together some of the best-known names in the field to present the first truly interdisciplinary introduction to critical realism. The book presents the reader with a compendium of accessible essays illustrating the connections between meta-theory, theory and substantive research across Sociology, Philosophy, Literary Studies, Politics, Media Studies, Psychology and Science Studies. The flexibility of critical realism is illustrated in the range of topics discussed - ranging from quantum mechanics to cyberspace, to literary theory, nature, smoking, the future of Marx, the unconscious and, of course, postmodernism and the future of theory itself.

Contents:

General Introduction: After Postmodernism: The Millennium / Garry Potter, Jose Lopez 1

Part I Varieties of Realism

1 How to Change Reality: Story vs. Structure-A Debate between / Rom Harre, Roy Bhaskar 22

2 The Intersecting Paths of Critical Relations: Multiple Realities, the Inner Planet and Three Dimensional Worlds / Philip Hodgkiss 40

3 Reading Foucault as a Realist / Frank Pearce, Tony Woodiwiss 51

4 The Ethogenics of Agency and Structure: A Metaphysical Problem / Charles R. Varela 63

Part II 'Looking for' and 'Looking at' Social Structure

5 Where is Social Structure? / John Scott 77

6 Metaphors of Social Complexity / Jose Lopez 86

Part III Physicists and Philosophers

7 Sociology and Epistemology / Jean Bricmont 100

8 Critical Realism and Quantum Mechanics: Some Introductory Bearings / Christopher Norris 116

Part IV Theory, Nature and Society

9 Why are Sociologists Naturephobes? / Ted Benton 133

10 Critical Realism and Political Ecology / Tim Forsyth 146

Part V Computing Power: De-Gendered Bodies and Gendered Minds?

11 Keeping it Real: A Critique of Postmodern Theories of Cyberspace / Pam Higham 159

12 Is Computing Really For Women? A Critical Realist Approach to Gender Issues In Computing / Sue Clegg 169

Part VI Culture and Criticism

13 Truth in Fiction, Science and Criticism / Garry Potter 183

14 Reconsidering Literary Interpretation / Philip Tew 196

15 Vaporising the Real: Artificiality, Millenial Anxiety and the 'End of History' / Francis Barker 206

Part VII Pragmaticism and Politics; Philosophy and Public Policy

16 Rorty on Pragmaticism, Liberalism and the Self / Justin Cruikshank 217

17 Realism and Research, Philosophy and Poverty Politics: the Example of Smoking / David Ford 225

Part VIII Ways of Knowing

18 Descartes' Individualistic Epistemology

A Critique / Allison Assiter 240

19 Social Movements and Science: The Question of Plural Knowledge Systems / Jenneth Parker 251

20 Do Realists Run Regressions? / Douglas V. Porpora 260

Part IX Dialectics

21 Marx, Hegel and the Specificity of the Political / Robert Fine 272

22 Critical Realism in Light of Marx's Process of Abstraction / Bertell Ollman 285

23 On Real and Nominal Absences / Andrew Collier 299.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [314]-324) and index.

ISBN:

0485004216

0485006170

OCLC:

45736821