Philosophical realism—often understood as an approach to various subject matters rather than a standalone doctrine—is the view that a certain kind of thing, encompassing entities from abstract concepts like numbers and moral propositions to the physical world, has mind-independent existence, signifying its existence irrespective of mental perception or its status as more than a subjective appearance. This encompasses various epistemological and metaphysical stances asserting that specific entities exist independently of cognition, thought, or comprehension. Such independence can pertain to the physical world, temporal dimensions (past and future), other consciousnesses, and the self, and may also extend, albeit less directly, to universals, mathematical principles, ethical truths, and thought itself. Conversely, realism can also incorporate perspectives that entirely dismiss metaphysical interpretations of reality.
Furthermore, realism can represent a perspective on the fundamental nature of reality, positing its existence as independent of the mind. This contrasts with non-realist philosophies, such as certain forms of skepticism and solipsism, which challenge the verifiable existence of anything external to individual consciousness. Proponents of realism frequently assert that truth is established through a correspondence between mental representations and objective reality.
Realists generally contend that current beliefs merely approximate reality, yet the precision and comprehensiveness of understanding are subject to refinement. Historically, realism has been juxtaposed with idealism in certain philosophical discussions. Presently, it is more commonly contrasted with anti-realism, particularly within the philosophy of science.
The earliest documented application of the term "realism" emerged within medieval scholastic interpretations and adaptations of ancient Greek philosophical thought.
This philosophical stance was also prevalent across numerous ancient Indian philosophical traditions.
Etymology
The term originates from the Late Latin word realis, meaning 'real'. Its initial application in an abstract metaphysical context is attributed to Immanuel Kant in 1781 (CPR A 369).
Varieties
Metaphysical Realism
Metaphysical realism posits that "all existing entities possess their properties and relations autonomously, without their existence or essence being contingent upon thought or experience." This implies the existence of an objective reality, distinct from any singular or multiple subjective realities.
Naïve or Direct Realism
Naïve realism, alternatively termed direct realism, constitutes a philosophy of mind grounded in a common-sense theory of perception, asserting that sensory experience offers immediate apprehension of the external world.
Direct Realism
Perceptual realism represents the common-sense perspective that entities such as tables, chairs, and coffee cups exist autonomously, irrespective of any observer. Proponents of direct realism further contend that our interaction with these objects is immediate. Perceptual objects encompass commonplace items like paper clips, celestial bodies, and containers of olive oil. These are the very entities we directly perceive through sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Nevertheless, direct realism bifurcates into two distinct versions: naïve direct realism and scientific direct realism. Their divergence lies in the attributes they ascribe to perceptual objects when these are not undergoing observation. Naïve realism asserts that these objects retain all their commonly perceived characteristics, including properties like yellowness, warmth, and mass. Scientific realism, conversely, posits that certain perceived properties of an object are contingent upon the perceiver, and thus, unobserved objects should not be presumed to maintain these attributes. This perspective possesses a considerable historical lineage:
Conventionally, there is sweetness and bitterness, heat and cold, and color; in actuality, there are only atoms and the void. [Democritus, circa 460-370 BCE, as cited by Sextus Empiricus in Barnes, 1987, pp. 252-253.]
Conversely, certain idealist philosophies contend that no world exists independently of mind-dependent ideas, while some skeptical positions argue against the reliability of our sensory perceptions. The naïve realist perspective holds that objects possess properties—such as texture, smell, taste, and color—which are typically perceived with absolute accuracy. We apprehend them precisely as they truly exist.
Immanent Realism
Immanent realism constitutes an ontological framework asserting that universals possess inherent reality within particular entities themselves, rather than residing in a distinct realm or being mere nominal constructs. This view is predominantly linked with Aristotle and the Aristotelian philosophical tradition.
Scientific Realism
Broadly defined, scientific realism is the philosophical position asserting that the world depicted by scientific theories genuinely exists, independently of human perception or interpretation. In the philosophy of science, this concept frequently addresses the question of how scientific success can be adequately explained. Central to discussions regarding scientific success is the ontological status of unobservable entities posited by scientific theories. Proponents of scientific realism typically contend that reliable assertions can be made about unobservable entities, attributing to them the same ontological status as observable phenomena. Analytic philosophers commonly endorse scientific realism, viewing the scientific method as a dependable means for understanding the fundamental nature of reality. Instrumentalism stands as the primary philosophical alternative to scientific realism.
Scientific Realism in Physics
Within physics, particularly in quantum mechanics, realism posits that the world possesses a degree of mind-independence. This implies that even if potential measurement outcomes do not pre-exist the measurement act itself, their emergence is not necessarily attributed to the observer's creation, a stance contrasting with the "consciousness causes collapse" interpretation of quantum mechanics. Conversely, the "consciousness causes collapse" interpretation asserts that the wave function already constitutes a complete description of reality. Under this view, the various potential realities encompassed by the wave function are considered equally valid. The observer then collapses the wave function, actualizing one specific reality. Consequently, an individual's reality can be considered mind-dependent within this particular quantum mechanical framework.
Moral Realism
Moral realism asserts that ethical statements articulate propositions corresponding to objective, mind-independent features of reality.
Aesthetic Realism
Aesthetic realism (distinct from the philosophy developed by Eli Siegel, also named Aesthetic Realism, and from "realism" as an artistic movement) is the philosophical perspective maintaining the existence of aesthetic facts independent of human minds.
History of Metaphysical Realism
Ancient Greek Philosophy
In ancient Greek philosophy, Plato and Aristotle advanced realist doctrines concerning universals.
Platonic realism represents a foundational form of realism, asserting the existence of abstract objects, specifically universals, frequently referred to as "Forms" in translations of Plato's writings. Because Plato conceptualized Forms as literally real entities existing independently of human cognition, this position is also termed Platonic idealism. It is crucial not to conflate this with the common understanding of "idealistic" as optimistic, nor with other philosophical idealist traditions, such as those articulated by George Berkeley. Given that Platonic abstractions lack spatial, temporal, or subjective mental attributes, they are arguably incompatible with the emphasis on mental existence central to Berkeley's idealism. Plato's Forms encompass numbers and geometrical figures, thereby incorporating mathematical realism into his theory; furthermore, the inclusion of the Form of the Good extends his framework to ethical realism.
In contrast, Aristotle's more nuanced perspective posited that universals, such as "blueness," derive their existence from the specific particulars that instantiate them (e.g., a particular blue bird, a blue piece of paper, a blue robe). These particulars, in turn, exist independently of any minds, a concept foundational to classic metaphysical realism.
Ancient Indian Philosophy
Numerous ancient Indian philosophical schools embraced realist tenets, including the Mimamsa, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita, Nyaya, Yoga, Samkhya, Sautrantika, Jain, and Vaisheshika traditions, among others. These schools actively advocated for their realist perspectives, rigorously critiquing idealist philosophies, particularly that of the Yogachara, and formulating detailed refutations of Yogachara doctrines.
Medieval Philosophy
Medieval realism emerged from philosophical discussions concerning the problem of universals. Universals denote terms or attributes applicable to multiple entities, exemplified by concepts such as "red," "beauty," "five," or "dog." Within this philosophical framework, realism (sometimes referred to as exaggerated realism), in contrast to conceptualism and nominalism, posits that these universals possess genuine existence, independently and in some manner preceding the empirical world. Moderate realism, conversely, maintains that universals exist solely through their instantiation in particular objects, rather than existing separately from them. Conceptualism asserts their existence exclusively within the mind, whereas nominalism contends that universals lack any true "existence," functioning merely as linguistic labels (flatus vocis) used to describe specific objects.
Notable proponents of moderate realism included Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and Duns Scotus, whose views are also associated with Scotist realism.
Early Modern Philosophy
During the early modern period, Scottish Common Sense Realism emerged as a philosophical school dedicated to defending naive realism against philosophical paradoxes and skepticism. This school asserted that common-sense matters are accessible to general understanding and that common-sense convictions influence the lives and thoughts even of individuals who espouse non-commonsensical views. Its origins lie in the contributions of key figures from the Scottish School of Common Sense—Thomas Reid, Adam Ferguson, and Dugald Stewart—during the 18th-century Scottish Enlightenment, achieving prominence in Scotland and America throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The foundational principles of Scottish Common Sense Realism developed in reaction to the philosophies of thinkers such as John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume. This philosophical stance directly countered the "ideal system" initiated by Descartes' ideas on the constraints of sensory experience, which subsequently guided Locke and Hume toward a skepticism that challenged both religious tenets and the reliability of sensory data. Common sense realists deemed skepticism illogical and so fundamentally opposed to everyday experience that its rejection was imperative. They posited that ordinary experiences offer an intuitively certain guarantee of the self's existence, of tangible objects perceptible through sight and touch, and of fundamental "first principles" capable of supporting robust moral and religious convictions. The core tenet of this school was articulated by its founder and most influential figure, Thomas Reid:
- If there are certain principles, as I think there are, which the constitution of our nature leads us to believe, and which we are under a necessity to take for granted in the common concerns of life, without being able to give a reason for them—these are what we call the principles of common sense; and what is manifestly contrary to them, is what we call absurd.
Late Modern Philosophy
Within late modern philosophy, Austrian realism stood out as a significant school of thought that championed metaphysical realism. Its adherents included Franz Brentano, Alexius Meinong, Vittorio Benussi, Ernst Mally, and the early work of Edmund Husserl. These philosophers emphasized the inherent objectivity of truth and its autonomy from the subjective nature of those who evaluate it.
Dialectical materialism, a philosophy of nature derived from the works of late modern philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, is often construed as a manifestation of ontological realism.
Michael Resnik suggests that Gottlob Frege's philosophical contributions subsequent to 1891 can be understood as advancing the tenets of realism.
Contemporary Philosophy
Within contemporary analytic philosophy, prominent figures such as Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, J. L. Austin, Karl Popper, and Gustav Bergmann advocated for metaphysical realism. Hilary Putnam initially supported metaphysical realism but subsequently adopted a variant of anti-realism, which he designated as "internal realism." Conceptualist realism, a perspective advanced by David Wiggins, represents a form of realism positing that our conceptual framework accurately corresponds to reality.
Speculative realism constitutes a movement within contemporary continental-inspired philosophy, broadly characterized by its commitment to metaphysical realism in opposition to prevailing post-Kantian philosophical paradigms.
Notes
Notes
References
- Blackburn, Simon (2005). Truth: A Guide. Oxford University Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-19-516824-2.Miller, Alexander, "Realism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP).
- Miller, Alexander, "Realism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP)
- O'Brien, Daniel. "Objects of Perception." The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP).
- This physics research paper, published in Nature, details an experimental investigation into non-local realism, yielding negative results for specific categories of realism within the domain of physics.