Complex Realism, Applied Social Science and Postdisciplinarity
A Critical Assessment of the Work of David Byrne
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21159627 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dominic Holland (0000-0002-0565-5298, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 534-554 |
| Publication date | 2014-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Critical Realism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1476-7430 • E-ISSN: 1572-5138 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1179/1476743014z.00000000042 |
| OpenAlex | W1593571446 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 12 |
In this review essay I offer a critical assessment of the work of David Byrne, an applied social scientist who is one of the leading advocates of the use of complexity theory in the social sciences and who has drawn on the principles of critical realism in developing an ontological position of ‘complex realism’. The key arguments of his latest book, Applying Social Science: The Role of Social Research in Politics, Policy and Practice constitute the frame of the review; however, since these overlap with those of his previous books, Interpreting Quantitative Data and Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences, I consider all three books together. I identify aspects of Byrne’s ontological position that are in tune with the principles of original and dialectical critical realism and aspects that are not. I argue that these inconsistencies, which Byrne must resolve if he is to take his understanding of complexity further, stem from the residual influence of various forms of irrealism in his thinking
Dialectic · Epistemology · Philosophy of social science · Realism · Social philosophy · Social relation · Social science · Sociology · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Critical Realism in Sociology · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Philosophy
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Special Issue on Realist Complexity
Realism and Complexity
Can Complexity add anything to Critical Realism and the Morphogenetic Approach
Complexity theory for complexity reduction? Revisiting the ontological and epistemological basis of complexity science with Critical Realism
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |