Philosophy of Social Science

TED BENTON is Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex. He is the author of many books, including Philosophical Foundations of the Three Sociologies, The Rise and Fall of Structural Marxism and Natural Relations: Ecology, Animal Rights and Social Justice. IAN CRAIB is Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex. He is the author of numerous books, including Modern Social Theory: From Parsons to Habermas and Classical Social Theory.

Preface Introduction Empiricism and Positivism in Science Some Problems of Empiricism and Positivism Science, Nature and Society: Some Alternatives to Empiricism Interpretive Approaches 1: Instrumental Rationality Interpretive Approaches 2: Rationality as Rule-Following: Cultures, Traditions and Hermeneutics Interpretive Approaches 3: Critical Rationality Critical Realism and the Social Sciences Feminism, Knowledge and Society Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism Conclusion: In Defence of Philosophy Annotated Further Reading