Philosophical Reflexivity and Entrepreneurship Research

‘Philosophy is inescapable’. This is the powerful mantra and call to action of this authoritative and informative collection of essays. Acting upon the conviction that empirical scrutiny only takes us so far in understanding the full nature of entrepreneurship, this text provides a set of thoughtful, and refreshing commentaries on the different ways in which philosophical assumptions shape entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship scholarship will be richer for the reading of it.

Denise Elaine Fletcher, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

This book offers the reader a variety of philosophical ideas and approaches to spur reflection on taken for granted assumptions about what entrepreneurship is and the ways entrepreneurship scholars understand this phenomenon. The chapters in this book go beyond critiquing current ideas and perspectives, rather, the book opens up important lines of inquiry in such topic areas as: uncertainty, the imagination, social construction, critical realism, and the nature of failure. I expect that many of the insights from this book will provide directions for major avenues of entrepreneurship scholarship over the next decade. Scholars who want clues about the future direction of the entrepreneurship field would be wise to explore this book.

William B. Gartner, Bertarelli Foundation Distinguished Professor of Family Entrepreneurship, Babson College, USA