What is critical realism in the social sciences?

Critical realism is a philosophical approach to science and social science initially developed by Roy Bhaskar. It opposes empiricism and positivism by defining science as the identification of causal mechanisms, while also rejecting poststructuralism by insisting on objective existence and an explicit ontology. In contrast to other views, it builds social science upon an explicit foundation of what exists.

What we know

• Critical realism is a philosophical approach to understanding science and social science initially developed by Roy Bhaskar. [1, 2]
• The approach opposes empiricism and positivism by viewing science as concerned with identifying causal mechanisms. [2]
• Critical realism stood against postmodernism and poststructuralism in the late twentieth century by insisting on the reality of objective existence. [2]
• It insists that social science should be built from an explicit ontology, distinguishing it from positivism and poststructuralism. [2]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Roy Bhaskar?
• compared withHow does positivism differ from critical realism?
• how it workedWhat are causal mechanisms in social science?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the philosophy of social science?
• an unexpected connectionWhat is critical realism in the philosophy of perception?

Sources

• [1]critical realism (Wikidata Q15080858) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Critical realism (philosophy of the social sciences) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Critical realism (philosophy of perception) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Philosophy of social science · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Critical realism · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. What was the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy?
2. /What is critical realism in the social sciences?