<p><em>A Realist Theory of Science</em> is one of the few books that have changed our understanding of the philosophy of science. In this analysis of the natural sciences, with a particular focus on the experimental process itself, Roy Bhaskar provides a definitive critique of the traditional, positivist conception of science and stakes out an alternative, realist position. Since it original publication in 1975, a movement known as &lsquo;Critical Realism&rsquo;, which is both intellectually diverse and international in scope, has developed on the basis of key concepts outlined in the text. The book has been hailed in many quarters as a &lsquo;Copernican Revolution&rsquo; in the study of the nature of science, and the implications of its account have been far-reaching for many fields of the humanities and social sciences.</p>