ABSTRACT
Critical realism is steadily gaining ground in the social sciences and humanities. Critical realist orientated scholars are to be found in many areas such as: sociology and social theory, organisation and management studies, feminism, geography, law and economics. Whilst critical realism has many things to teach us about philosophy it is, primarily, a philosophy of science. Critical realism can supply the full-blown philosophy of science lacking in Marxism. Adopting critical realism as a philosophy of science compatible with Marxism has allowed us to place the notion of tendency on a more secure footing. There are a number of reasons why critical realism can be situated within a Kantian legacy. In the first instance, critical realism is a transcendental social theory. Critical realism has attracted followers from a very broad range of disciplines in the social sciences, humanities and beyond. Critical realism demonstrates that the Kuhnian/Lakatosian perspective must have a real world analogue in ontological 'emergence'.
