ABSTRACT

This book, written by a philosopher interested in the problems of social science and scientific method, and a sociologist interested in the philosophy of science, presents a novel conception of how we should think about and carry out the scientific study of social life. This book combines an evaluation of different conceptions of the nature of science with an examination of important sociological theorists and frameworks. This second edition of the work was originally published in 1982.

chapter |2 pages

Introduction

part |4 pages

part one Conceptions of science

chapter 1|13 pages

Positivist philosophy of science

chapter 2|14 pages

Realist philosophy of science

chapter 3|15 pages

Forms of conventionalism

part |2 pages

part two Conceptions of science in social theory

chapter 4|19 pages

Sociology and positivism

chapter 5|17 pages

Marx and realism

chapter 6|17 pages

Structure and structuralism

part |3 pages

part three Meaning and ideology

chapter 8|15 pages

Reification and realism

chapter 9|24 pages

Values, theory and reality