Realism and sociology : anti-foundationalism, ontology, and social research / Justin Cruickshank.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cruickshank, Justin, 1969-

Series:

Routledge studies in critical realism ; 5.

Routledge studies in critical realism ; 5

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sociology--Methodology.

Sociology.

Sociology--Philosophy.

Realism.

Ontology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (183 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In recent years, methodological debates in the social sciences have increasingly focused on issues relating to epistemology. Realism and Sociology makes an original contribution to the debate, charting a middle ground between postmodernism and positivism.Critics often hold that realism tries to assume some definitive account of reality. Against this it is argued throughout the book that realism can combine a strong definition of social reality with an anti-foundational approach to knowledge. The position of realist anti-foundationalism that is argued for is developed and defended

Contents:

Cover; Realism and Sociology; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of figures; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 The philosophical logic of immediacy: the epistemic fallacy and the genetic fallacy; Introduction; Popper and the critique of positivism; Popper on post-Kantian epistemology, falsifiability and metaphysical realism; Popper, the epistemic fallacy and the genetic fallacy; Putnam's critique of metaphysical realism; Internal realism: conceptual relativity and realism; Searle on external realism and conceptual relativity; Putnam and the philosophical logic of immediacy

2 The influence of empiricism on social ontology: methodological individualism and methodological collectivismIntroduction; Anticipating the sociological logic of immediacy; Methodological individualism defined; Assessing methodological individualism: the need for a non-individualist ontology; Methodological collectivism: overcoming the problems?; 3 Post-Wittgensteinian pragmatism: Rorty, anti-representationalism and politics; Introduction; Realism and representation; Anti-representationalism and the philosophical logic of immediacy; Liberalism and ethnocentrism; Nietzschean liberalism

Poetry contra politicsPragmatism and female being; From postmodernism to positivistic-conservatism; 4 Post-Wittgensteinian sociology: Giddens' ontology of practices; Introduction; The importance of ontology; Rule-following practices; The ontological status of structures; Problems with rules; Problems with linking the micro and the macro levels; What is the purpose of structuration theory? Or, what is the link between ontology and methodology?; 5 Social realism: overcoming the sociological logic of immediacy; Introduction

Bhaskar on the philosophy of science: from empirical realism to transcendental realismTranscendental realist naturalism: Bhaskar's social ontology; Developing the ontology; Challenges to social realism; Rejoinder to the challenges; 6 Social realism and the study of chronic unemployment; Introduction; Defining the underclass; Studying the chronically unemployed as members of the working class; Doing 'fiddly jobs': an ethnographic understanding of coping strategies to deal with structural unemployment; The role of gender; The underclass and the sociological logic of immediacy

Realism as an underlabourerNotes for the construction of a domain-specific meta-theory for researching the chronically unemployed in Britain; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [161]-168) and index.

ISBN:

1-134-50606-6

1-134-50607-4

0-203-11670-4

1-280-18203-2

0-203-16394-X

9780203116708

OCLC:

252708540