The Baha'i Studies Listserv Here is more on Critical Realism from one of my books:
Many forms of idealism and realism might increase our understandings. However, to a social scientist, since essences cannot be directly observed, their nature, or location, would be mostly irrelevant anyway. As a sociologist, I am building a new critical realist perspective called Structurization Theory <http://structurization.com/>^(TM). Aspects of it closely resemble the Critical Realism of British philosopher, Roy Bhaskar <http://www.criticalrealism.demon.co.uk/>, and even its more recent development into meta-Reality, but the approach which I have taken to critical realism differs from Bhaskar's perspective in certain areas. Critical realism, like other systems of metaphysical or speculative realism, assumes some kind of ontology. This subject was established by Aristotle as one of the branches of metaphysics. Ontology considers issues of being, including the classification of existence into forms and rankings. If essences are unknowable, any Bahá?í ontology might focus instead on naming or categorizing their attributes. In my view, essences can only be accepted indirectly, as attributes, and through faith in divine Revelation. Critical realism, as I have been developing it, focuses upon these attributes of essences. One of Bhaskar's more important contributions to theory or knowledge, in my view, concerns the mediation of the Actual (events) between the Real (underlying structures) and the Empirical (direct observation). Perhaps the most significant implication of this indirect or representative realism is a pragmatically fallibilist (relativist) epistemology (theory of knowledge and perception). Below are my modifications, in brief, to this three-tiered ontology of the Real (Essences), the Actual (Attributes), and the Empirical (Names). * Essences or unities, not the idealist conceptions of thought and consciousness, are the foundations of reality. Anything beyond agnosticism, or unknowingness, about these essences is imaginary. * Names (or structurizations) are identifications (observations), and organizations (classifications and relationships) of the individualized attributes of beings and things. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we, individually and collectively, identify the attributes of essences. * Attributes are the appearances, qualities, signs, or manifestations of essences. For example, agency (free will and action), such as the will to emancipation, might be considered as a rational attribute of the unity of humanity. Through agency, we can acquire other attributes. Similarly, the Golden Rule <http://www.bahaistudies.net/otherworks/golden_rule.pdf>, or behaving toward others as one would like them to behave toward oneself, may be a virtue of the unity of revealed religions. Bhaskar's Critical Realism has often been contrasted with the practice theories of Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens (structuration theory), and others. Harold Garfinkel's ethnomethodology, which focuses on rule-based behavior, has also sometimes been seen as a practice theory. While Critical Realism uses indirect realism, practice theory uses rationalism. In Critical Realism, social reality or structure is the source of potential. Agency is individual willful action. However, in some practice theories, social action is explained through rational structures, not through real structures. Agency is potential. --- Regards, Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. 29 domains: http://markfoster.net Two books: http://bahaifaith.info Clinical: http://fosterservices.com __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-621700-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
