Analyzing and Criticizing the Anthropological Dimension of Critical Realism from a Social View of Religion

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Cultural Policy, Baqir Al-Olum University

2 Associate Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, Tehran University

10.22034/ra.2019.70631.2014

Abstract

Religion is a social reality and for explaining social realities a number of individualistic and pluralistic theories are employed. Critical realism is amongst these theories which studies and explains human deeds. In the current research three reasons behind the causality of human behavior are propounded. Critical realism paradigm believes that Man is of social nature. Critical realists also believe that practical adequacy (sufficiency) is one of the pillars of methodological judgment which is on the basis of peoples’ agreed-upon assumptions. They believe that for collecting data a hybrid of qualitative and quantitative methods are required while believing that none of them is enough by itself. In dialectic anthropology of Roy Bhaskar, the position of God is in a quality that, the fundamental structure of Man and of universe is God and the main duty of Man is to attain at and perceive this sublime or absolute reality. According him, God is the ultimate source of existence and possibilities. Also, he believes that Man, more or less, perceives God because human nature is endowed with the possibility of recognizing internal and external God. 

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