The sciences are too important to be left exclusively to scientists, and indeed they have not been. The structure of scientific knowledge, the role of the sciences in society, the appropriate social contexts for the pursuit of scientific inquiry, have long been matters for reflection and debate about the sciences carried on both within academe and outside it. Even within the universities this reflection has not been the property of any single discipline. Philosophy might have been first in the field, but history and the social sciences have also entered the fray. For the latter, new problems came to the fore, since reflection on the sciences is, in the case of the social sciences, necessarily also reflection on themselves as sciences. Reflection on the natural sciences and self-reflection by the social sciences came to be dominated in the 1960s by the term 'positivism'. At the time when this word had been invented, the sciences were flourishing; their social and material environment had become increasingly favourable to scientific progress, and the sciences were pointing the way to an optimistic future. In the later twentieth century, however, 'positivism' came to be a word used more frequently by those less sure of nineteenth century certainties. In both sociology and philosophy, 'positivism' was now something to be rejected, and, symbolizing the collapse of an earlier consensus, it became itself the shibboleth of a new dissensus, as different groups of reflective thinkers, in rejecting 'positivism', rejected something different, and often rejected each other.

Critical Issues in Social Theory is an analytical survey of persistent controversies that have shaped the field of sociology. It defines, clarifies, and proposes solutions to these "critical issues" through commentary on the writings of such influential social theorists as Hobbes, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Merton, Parsons, and Schutz. Instead of being just another history, or another classification of theories, Rhoads's four-part model allows him to focus attention on issues that remain at the core of sociological theory today. First, Rhoads analyzes the controversy over positivism as the proper methodological model for the study of human society. Is there one science, of which sociology is a branch, or do the peculiarities of sociology's subject matter require a modification of the scientific method borrowed from the natural sciences? Rhoads next considers the relationship of individuals to society and its structures. Does society have a mode of existence distinct from its members, or is it merely an abstraction derived from the characteristics of individuals? Third, a discussion of social order raises the question of whether social order is the consequence of rules and their underlying moral values, or the product of continuous construction based on self-interest. Finally, the relative importance of consensus and conflict in social relationships is addressed. Is society better understood as a community united by beliefs, values, and rules, or is the social dynamic of continual conflict over beliefs, values, and rules more fundamental? In coming to grips with these issues, the author in some instances takes sides and in others arrives at a synthesis of diverse perspectives. In the final chapter he points to the limitations on the possibility of rational action that come to light in the clashes over these basic issues.

A group of renowned sociological theorists analyze why the attempts to make sociological theory formal in the 1960s and early 1970s failed. This becomes not only an unusual and interesting analysis in the sociology of knowledge, but several of the articles move to the level of analyzing the entire discipline, explaining why positivism did not take hold and what are the distinctive characteristics of sociology as a discipline. Anyone interested in sociology as a discipline and more specifically sociological theory will find interesting analytical models.

Recipient of Choice Magazine′s 1996 Outstanding Academic Book Award Author Raymond Morrow outlines and recounts the development of the major tenets of critical theory, exemplifying them through the works of two of their most influential, recent adherents: Jürgen Habermas and Anthony Giddens. Beginning with a comprehensive yet meticulous explication of critical theory and its history, the author next discusses it within the context of a research program; his work concludes with an examination of empirical methods. Emphasizing the connections between critical theory, empirical research, and social science methodology, Morrow′s volume offers refreshing insights on traditional and current material.

In my judgment this book in honor of Donald T. Campbell will be very influential and highly cited. . . . It will become a must read for Ph.D. students and scholars in strategy and organization theory. —Arie Lewin, Duke University "The topics in this volume are cutting edge, and the contributors are first-rate. The book is well anchored—Donald T. Campbell has had a profound influence on the field. Moreover, the book is well-conceptualized—socio-cultural evolution, co-evolution, methods modeling, and epistemology are key issues in organization science right now. —Michael Tushman, Harvard University If he were an assistant professor today, what would social science giant Donald T. Campbell be pursuing in the field of organization science? Joel A. C. Baum and Bill McKelvey explore this question in Variations in Organization Science. This volume reveals and celebrates Campbell′s many contributions to organization science by presenting new variations that stem directly from his work. Rather than analyze Campbell′s theories, the authors present ideas that Campbell might have pursued if he were currently a doctoral student. This volume is unique in its focus on coevolution and multilevel coevolutionary analysis, as well as in its range of subject matter from empirical studies to leading-edge epistemological discourses. Each of the book′s four main sections focuses on a major aspect of Campbell′s legacy: blind variation, selection, and retention; multilevel coevolution; process level analysis and modeling; and epistemology and methodology. In addition, the volume includes a Foreward by Barbara Frankel Campbell and an unusual Appendix: Donald Campbell′s complete curriculum vitae. Variations in Organization Science should be on the top of the reading list for any organization scientist interested in organizational evolution, change, and competitiveness. This volume will also appeal to any scholar interested in the human and social capital base of firms and how organizational knowledge and learning work to provide the basis of competitive advantage.

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This text collects together Ben Agger's essays on the origins, significance and applications of critical theory - a perspective associated with the Frankfurt School. The essays address a variety of topics including the viability of Marxist theory and new social movements.

"This is an excellent compilation of work on the discipline of international relations (IR). . . . This handbook will become indispensable for libraries serving graduate programs in IR. It will also be a good reference for faculty and scholars in the field, and its individual entries will be of interest to advanced undergraduate students." --CHOICE, November 2002 --CHOICE, November 2002 This major Handbook brings together the worlds leading scholars of international relations to provide a state of the art review and indispensable guide to the field. A genuinely international undertaking, the Handbook reviews the many historical, philosophical, analytical and normative roots to the discipline and the key contemporary topics of research and debate today. An essential benchmark publication for all advanced undergraduates, graduate students and academics in politics and international relations.

The culmination of a lifetime spent in a variety of fields - sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, and philosophy of science - How Does Social Science Work? takes an innovative, sometimes iconoclastic look at social scientists at work in many disciplines. It describes how they investigate and the kinds of truth they produce, illuminating the weaknesses and dangers inherent in their research.At once an analysis, a critique, and a synthesis, this major study begins by surveying philosophical approaches to hermeneutics, to examine the question of how social science ought to work. It illustrates many of its arguments with untraditional examples, such as the reception of the work of the political biographer Robert Caro to show the hermeneutical problems of ethnographers. The major part of the book surveys sociological, political, and psychological studies of social science to get a rounded picture of how social science works,Paul Diesling warns that "social science exists between two opposite kinds of degeneration, a value-free professionalism that lives only for publications that show off the latest techniques, and a deep social concern that uses science for propaganda." He argues for greater self-awareness and humility among social scientists, although he notes that "some social scientists . . . will angrily reject the thought that their personality affects their research in any way."This profound and sometimes witty book will appeal to students and practitioners in the social sciences who are ready to take a fresh look at their field. An extensive bibliography provides a wealth of references across an array of social science disciplines.

Since its initial publication, this highly respected text has provided students with a critical review of the major research paradigms in the social sciences and the logics or strategies of enquiry associated with them. This second edition has been revised and updated.