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Why is objectivity important to philosophical realism?
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Realism
Plato, marble portrait bust copied from an original of the 4th century bce; in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.
In philosophical realism, objectivity is essential because it defines the core commitment to a reality that exists independently of human cognition, belief, or investigative activity. For a position to be considered a form of realism, it must maintain that statements within a given discourse are capable of being true or false as a matter of objective, mind-independent fact.12
Objectivity is important to realism for the following reasons:
- Mind-Independence: Realism asserts that the objects of our knowledgeâwhether mundane physical items or theoretical scientific entitiesâpossess an existence that does not depend on being perceived or experienced. Objectivity ensures that truth is not merely a product of human thought but reflects the "furniture of the universe".231
- Recording Genuine Facts: Realists argue that statements in areas like science or mathematics are capable of recording genuine, mind-independent facts. Without this objective grounding, these statements would lose their status as descriptions of an external reality.12
- Truth Beyond Evidence: In strong realist theories, objective truth is "radically nonepistemic," meaning a statement can be true even if it is impossible for humans to recognize or prove it. This distinguishes realism from antirealist views that tie truth closely to evidence, verification, or rational acceptability.4