In its second edition, Method in Social Science was widely praised for its penetrating analysis of central questions in social science discourse. This revised edition comes with a new preface and a full bibliography. The book is intended for students and researchers familiar with social science but having little or no previous experiences of philosophical and methodological discussion, and for those who are interested in realism and method.

Table of Contents

Preface to the second edition. Introduction. 1. Knowledge in context 2. Theory, observation and practical adequacy 3. Theory and method I: abstraction, structure and cause 4. Theory and method II: types of system and their implications 5. Some influential misadventures in the philosophy of science 6. Quantitative methods in social science 7. Verification and falsification 8. Popper's 'falsificationism' 9. Problems of explanation and the aims of social science. Notes and references. Bibliography. Index

Author Biography

Andrew Sayer is a Professor in the department of Sociology at the University of Lancaster. His research interests include social theory and political economy, and the philosophy of social research. Recent publications include The New Social Economy: Reworking the Division of Labor (Blackwell, 1992), Realism and Social Science (Sage, 2000), and The Moral Significance of Class (Cambridge University Press, 2005).