Abstract

This article presents a critical realist perspective on empirical sociological research. The ontological and epistemological foundations of critical realism, its specific notion of causality and its vision on explanation and scientific laws are discussed. The author draws mainly on the arguments of Bhaskar, Sayer, Layder and Archer. Examples of critical realist research are included. The author argues that, although the critical realist perspective makes major philosophical contributions to the debate on the empirical foundation of social scientific knowledge, the core question of the observation of 'underlying' mechanisms is still not fully resolved. Critical realism needs to explicitate its criteria for the discovery of underlying mechanisms in social reality.

How to Cite:

Gijselinckx, C., (2002) “Kritisch realisme en sociologisch onderzoek”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 23(1), 21–44. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86542