Andrea M. Maccarini is associate professor at the University of Padova, Italy. His research field includes social theory, the sociology of education and of cultural change in Western societies. He is the author of many books and articles, including, 'Human Reflexivity in Critical Realism: Beyond the Modern Debate' (with Riccardo Prandini), M.S. Archer (ed.), Conversations about Reflexivity, Routledge, London. Emmanuele Morandi is Assistant professor at the University of Verona, Italy. His research field includes social theory, the sociology of Culture and of cultural change in Western societies. He is the author of many books and articles, including, La società è un "uomo in grande": Per riscoprire la sociologia degli "antichi", Marietti 1820, Milano-Genova 2010, pp. 388.Riccardo Prandini is associate professor at the University of Bologna, Italy. His research field includes social theory, the sociology of family and of Thord sector, cultural change in Western societies. He is the author of many books and articles, including, 'Re-vealing (vs Un-veiling) Justice. Riflessioni sull’enigma della giustizia trans-immanente', in, Soziologische Jurisprudenz. Festschift fuer Gunther Teubner, De Gruyter, Berlin, 2009, pp. 131- 148.

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• PART 1: SOCIAL ONTOLOGY Ch. 1. The Social Ontology of Critical Realism Ch. 2. ‘In the understanding of the existing state of affairs its negation is included’: A comment on Collier Ch. 3. Transcendental Realism and Critical Naturalism in Roy Bhaskar: the return of ontology in scientific social research PART 2: SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY Ch. 4. Morphogenesis: Realism’s Explanatory Framework Ch. 5. Towards a New European Sociology. The Morphogenetic Approach between Social Analysis and Grand Theory Ch. 6. Critical Realism, as viewed by Relational Sociology PART 3 : METHODOLOGY/EPISTEMOLOGY Ch. 7. Causality: Realist methods in Sociology Ch. 8. The future is behind us. Aristotleian causality and sociological realism