Enlightened Common Sense: The Philosophy of Critical Realism(Ontological Explorations Routledge Critical Realism)

Since its inception in the 1970's, critical realism has grown to address a broad range of subjects, including economics, philosophy, science, and religion. It has also gone through a number of key evolutions that have changed its direction, and seen it develop into a complex and mature branch of philosophy. Critical Realism: A Brief Introduction, is the first book to look back over the entire field of critical realism in one concise and accessible volume. As the originator and chief exponent of CR, Roy Bhaskar draws from his experience of countless introductory lectures, seminars, workshops and courses to give a definitive and compelling account of this increasingly influential, international and multi-disciplinary approach. Its eight chapters examine the following topics: Transcendental Realism and the Philosophy of Science Critical Naturalism and the Philosophy of Social Science Explanatory Critique and Ethics Language and Critical Discourse Analysis The Development of Critical Realism Interdisciplinarity and Applied Critical Realism Modernity, Theories of Science and Metacritique The Advantages of Critical Realism Everything from the definition of CR and its applicability to the social sciences, to explanations of dialectical critical realism and the philosophy of meta-reality are addressed in detail, making this the essential introduction for students of CR at all levels.

Table of Contents:
1. On the Presuppositions and Origins of the Philosophy of Critical Realism 2. Transcendental Realism and the Philosophy of Science 3. Critical Naturalism and the Philosophy of the Social/Human Sciences 4. Applied Critical Realism and Interdisciplinarity 5. Ethics and Language: Explanatory Critique and Critical Discourse Analysis 6. The Further Development of Critical Realism I: Dialectical Critical Realism 7. The Further Development of Critical Realism II: The Philosophy of metaReality 8. The Critique of the Philosophical Discourse of Modernity and the Western Philosophical Tradition 9. Critical Realism and the Ontology of the Good Society

About the Author :
Centre for Critical Realism, London, UK

Review :
Roy Bhaskar’s too-brief life was a gift to humanity. His life's work gave us a solid ontological grounding for all those intuitions that most of us feel we should be able to justify, but are constantly being told by the reigning intellectual authorities we can’t: that the world, and other people, are real, that freedom is inherent in the nature of the cosmos, that genuine human flourishing can never be at the expense of others. He lived to provide the intellectual heavy artillery for simple common decency and good sense. Much of his work was written in exceedingly difficult language. This book however, makes it accessible to those who have the most to gain from it: anyone trying to make the world a better place. David Graeber, Anthropologist; sometime revolutionary; Professor at London School of Economics, UK. Roy Bhaskar writes: ‘If there is a single big idea in critical realism it is the idea of ontology.’ One big idea, perhaps, but Bhaskar developed it in three very different and equally innovative ways. From early depth ontology, through rethinking dialectical negativity, to the metaphysics of metaReality, Bhaskar pushed his thought – and himself. Guided always by the lodestar of emancipation, this final work demonstrates the unity in the three phases of his thought. Always willing to go against the mainstream, it is a fitting final tribute to a great philosopher. Alan Norrie, Professor, University of Warwick, UK.