'Professor Pickel's book is exceptional in three respects. First, it deals with problems in the real world instead of presenting one more pseudo-mathematical model about highly idealized situations. Second, Pickel respects data but does not worship data-gathering. Instead, he attempts to explain facts in terms of mechanisms, or processes in complex systems. Last, but not least, Pickel knows that science ... Read moreis not done in a philosophical vacuum: he makes his philosophical assumptions explicit. And his main principles rationality, scientific realism, and systemism are tailored to successful scientific research. For all these reasons I warmly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the momentous political changes we are witnessing these days.' - Mario Bunge FRSC, Frothingham Professor of Logic and Metaphysics"No one can accuse Andreas Pickel of timidity! In a single compact book, he takes up how people relate to sovereign states, what transitions from socialism meant, how we should understand globalisation, the (in)adequacy of social science as it now exists, and the general problem of explaining social order. The wonder is double: that he brings fresh insight to each of these questions, and that he shows how they connect with each other." - Charles Tilly, Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science, Columbia University Show Less