Most discussion about critical realism concerns the concepts of structure and agency. This neglects Bhaskar's arguments about facts and values. Bhaskar argues that we can move from facts to values with ‘explanatory critiques’ and from values to facts with ‘descriptively adequate’ accounts of ‘value impregnated’ events. The argument in this article is that both of Bhaskar's arguments are untenable and that the alternative is the value-to-value argument.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BhaskarR. (1991), Philosophy and the Idea of Freedom, Oxford: Blackwell.
2.
BhaskarR. (1997), A Realist Theory of Science (2nd edn), London: Routledge.
3.
BhaskarR. (1998), The Possibility of Naturalism: A Philosophical Critique of the Human Sciences (3rd edn), London: Routledge.
4.
CollierA. (1998), ‘Explanation and Emancipation’ in ArcherM.BhaskarR.CollierA.LawsonT. and NorrieA. (eds.), Critical Realism: Essential Readings, London: Routledge.
5.
HayC. (2005), ‘Making Hay … or Clutching at Ontological Straws? Notes on Realism, “As-If-Realism” and Actualism’, Politics25(1), pp. 39–45.
6.
HumeD. (2000), A Treatise of Human Nature, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
7.
McAnullaS. (2005), ‘Making Hay with Actualism? The Need for a Realist Concept of Structure’, Politics25(1), pp. 31–38.
8.
SayerA. (1992), Method in Social Science: A Realist Approach (2nd edn), London: Routledge.