From a realist epistemology to ecosocialism

An interview with Ted Benton, part 1

Bibliographic Data

ID6434845
AuthorsTed Benton (University of Essex), Jamie Morgan (0009-0001-3223-2127, Leeds Beckett University)
Year2025
Volume24
Issue1
Pages76-107
Publication date2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Critical Realism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1476-7430 • E-ISSN: 1572-5138
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14767430.2025.2462394
OpenAlexW4407913004
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited104

Ted Benton has had a long and distinguished career and made important contributions in realist philosophy, ecology and Marxism. In part 1 of this wide-ranging interview he discusses his formative years and education, how he came to have an enduring interest in ecology and natural history, and his early work and career. In particular he discusses two matters of special interest to realists. First, how he came to write, and the key arguments contained in, Philosophical Foundations of the Three Sociologies. This book is one of the earliest works in modern realism and deserves wider recognition today. Second, his early and influential critique of Bhaskar's The Possibility of Naturalism. The critique pinpoints several important issues with the original formulation of naturalism and is indicative of the line of reasoning that would enable Benton to connect together natural and social science. In part 2, the discussion turns to this later work

Critical realism (philosophy of perception · Epistemology · Psychoanalysis · Realism · Sociology · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Critical Realism in Sociology · Philosophy · Political Economy and Marxism · Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access