Realism
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What is realism in philosophy?
In philosophy, realism is the viewpoint that things known or perceived exist independently of anyone thinking about or perceiving them. Philosophical realists affirm that sense perception, cognition, and scientific theorizing provide knowledge of things as they exist, regardless of human cognitive or investigative activities.
Realism is applied to doctrines asserting the existence of controversial entities. Plato's theory of Forms is an early realist doctrine, positing that concepts like "the Beautiful" exist independently of particular beautiful objects.
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What does realism say about the existence of the world?
Realism in philosophy posits that things known or perceived exist independently of whether anyone thinks about or perceives them. It suggests that objects of perception exist independently of the mind.
Within realism, a distinction is made between mental entities (private to individuals) and physical objects (public and mind-independent). Direct realism suggests that physical objects are perceived directly, while representative realism proposes that perception is indirect, mediated by sense-data caused by external objects.
Realism can be applied to various areas, like science or morality, with nuanced views on objective truth and mind-independent facts. Some argue that science aims for a true account of the world, while others believe theories are merely instruments for predicting observable phenomena.
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How is realism different from idealism?
Idealism emphasizes the spiritual or mental aspects of experience, suggesting reality exists as spirit or consciousness, or that knowledge is primarily mental. In contrast, realism posits that objects of knowledge are grasped as they are, existing independently of the mind, and that perception provides knowledge of things as they exist independently of cognitive activities.
In essence, idealism focuses on mind-dependent reality, while realism focuses on mind-independent reality. Kant's transcendental idealism combines elements of both, suggesting that while experience is shaped by the mind, a world exists independently.
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What is the difference between naive realism and scientific realism?
NaĆÆve realism is the belief that our perception of the external world is a direct copy of it.
Scientific realism holds that science aims for a literally true account of the world, accepting theoretical claims as true descriptions of reality, even those unobservable. Scientific realists believe that the success of scientific theories in explaining and predicting phenomena is evidence of their truth or approximate truth.
The key difference is that naĆÆve realism assumes direct and accurate perception, while scientific realism acknowledges the role of theories and unobservable entities in understanding the world.
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How does realism relate to our senses and perception?
Realism, in its epistemological sense, posits that at least some objects perceived are public rather than private, and in its metaphysical aspect, it holds that some objects of perception exist independently of the mind.
Realists make a distinction between mental entities (thoughts, pains) and physical entities (tables, rocks). Mental entities are private, experienced individually, while physical objects are public, accessible to multiple observers. Realists believe physical objects are mind-independent, existing whether perceived or not, unlike mental objects.
Traditional realist theories acknowledge that anomalies like illusions can create uncertainty about apprehending physical objects. Direct realism suggests that physical objects are perceived directly, while representative realism proposes that perception is indirect, mediated by sense-data caused by external objects.
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What are some major arguments for and against realism in philosophy?
Realism in philosophy asserts that reality exists independently of the mind and can be known objectively. Arguments for realism include that it aligns with common sense, provides the best explanation for the success of scientific theories, and acknowledges the mind-independent existence of objects.
However, realism faces challenges. Antirealists argue that the success of science doesn't necessitate the truth of its theories and that explanatory power doesn't guarantee truth. The problem of perceptual anomalies and the egocentric predicament also create doubt as to whether our perceptions accurately represent external reality. Additionally, the history of science reveals that many past successful theories were ultimately proven false, suggesting a pessimistic view of current theories.
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Realism, in philosophy, the viewpoint which accords to things which are known or perceived an existence or nature which is independent of whether anyone is thinking about or perceiving them.
Varieties of philosophical realism
The history of Western philosophy is checkered with disputes between those who have defended forms of realism and those who have opposed them. While there are certainly significant similarities linking the variety of positions commonly described as realist, there are also important differences which obstruct any straightforward general characterization of realism. Many, if not all, of these disputes may be seen as concerned in one way or another with the relations between, on the one hand, human beings as thinkers and subjects of experience and, on the other hand, the objects of their knowledge, belief, and experience. Do sense perception and other forms of cognition, and the scientific theorizing which attempts to make sense of their deliverances, provide knowledge of things which exist and are as they are independently of peopleās cognitive or investigative activities? It is at least roughly true to say that philosophical realists are those who defend an affirmative answer to the question, either across the board or with respect to certain areas of knowledge or beliefāe.g., the external world, scientific theories, mathematics, or morality.
The affirmative answer may seem no more than the merest common sense, because the vast majority of oneās beliefs are certainly most naturally taken to concern mind-independent objects whose existence is an entirely objective matter. And this seems to be so whether the beliefs in question are about mundane matters such as oneās immediate surroundings or about theoretical scientific entities such as subatomic particles, fundamental forces, and so on. Nevertheless, much argument and clarification of the issues and concepts involved (e.g., objectivity and mind-independence) is required if the realism favoured by common sense is to be sustained as a philosophical position.
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Any general statement of realism, however, inevitably obscures the great variation in focus in controversies between realists and antirealists from antiquity to the present day. In some controversies, what is primarily at issue is a question of ontology, concerning the existence of entities of some problematic kind. In others, the opposition, while still broadly ontological in character, concerns rather the ultimate nature of reality as a whole, a historically important example being the controversies generated by various forms of idealism. In yet others the dispute, while not entirely divorced from questions of ontology, is primarily concerned with the notion of truth, either in general or in application to statements of some particular type, such as moral judgments or theoretical scientific claims about unobservable entities.
Realism in ontology
In application to matters of ontology, realism is standardly applied to doctrines which assert the existence of entities of some problematic or controversial kind. Even under this more restricted heading, however, realism and opposition to it have taken significantly different forms, as illustrated in the following three examples.