This four-volume set of essays on the philosophical and methodological debates in the social sciences, builds on Mark Smith's highly successful first set of essays ("SAGE 2005"). This new set draws together classic and contemporary material on key debates, such as: the linguistic turn in social science; reformist and transformist social science; and discursive approaches to social research. It includes "Volume One: Language and Scientific Knowledge"; "Volume Two: Authentic, Relevant and Adequate Knowledge"; "Volume Three: Transformist Social Science: Feminism, Critical Realism and Emancipatory Knowledge"; and, "Volume Four: Discursive Social Science".