'Simultaneous invention' has become commonplace in the natural sciences, but is still virtually unknown within the sphere of social science. The convergence of two highly compatible versions of Critical Realism from two independent sources is a striking exception. Pierpaolo Donati's Relational Sociology develops 'upwards' from sociology into a Realist meta-theory, unlike Roy Baskhar's philosophy of science that works 'downwards' and 'underlabours' for the social sciences.

This book systematically introduces Donati's Relational Sociology to an English readership for the...

Argues that relations are real and generate real relational 'goods' and 'evils', affecting those involved and other people.