Publication History

This title was first published in 2001.

Book Overview

The book aims to give a clear and accessible account of Marx’s method and an assessment of its scientific validity and relevance to contemporary social science; The key methodological themes of Marx’s work and their development are shown with particular attention paid to the elements of dialectics and materialism; Four models of science are outlined—positivism; critical rationalism; scientific conventionalism; scientific realism — and the arguments and evidence both for and against Marx’s method corresponding to any of them examined.

Conclusion

The conclusion arrived at is that Marx’s method is a good example of social scientific practice according to the scientific realist model and that it has a positive contribution to make to social science today.