Philosophical realism

Definition

Philosophical realism—usually not treated as a position of its own but as a stance towards other subject matters—is the view that a certain kind of thing has mind-independent existence, i.e. that it exists even in the absence of any mind perceiving it or that its existence is not just a mere appearance in the eye of the beholder. This includes a number of positions within epistemology and metaphysics which express that a given thing instead exists independently of knowledge, thought, or understanding. This can apply to items such as the physical world, the past and future, other minds, and the self, though may also apply less directly to things such as universals, mathematical truths, moral truths, and thought itself. However, realism may also include various positions which instead reject metaphysical treatments of reality altogether.

Related concepts

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Collingwood Raphael Rationalism Realism (arts)Realism (disambiguation)Realism in physics Reality Reason Reductionism Reformed epistemology Relations (philosophy)Relativism Relevance Renaissance humanism Renaissance philosophy René Descartes Rhetoric Rigour Romanian philosophy Rudolf Carnap Russian cosmism Russian philosophy Samkhya Sarvastivada Saul Kripke Sautrāntika Scepticism Scholasticism School of Names School of Naturalists School of the Sextii Scientific realism Scientific skepticism Scientism Scotism Scotist realism Scottish Common Sense Realism Scottish Enlightenment Scottish philosophy Second Sophistic Self Senses Shuddhadvaita Simon Blackburn Simulacra and Simulation Skepticism Social constructionism Social contract Social philosophy Socialism Socratic method Solipsism Sophist Sophist (dialogue)Soul Spanish philosophy Speculative realism Spinozism Spiritualism (philosophy)State of affairs (philosophy)Stoicism Structural realism (philosophy of science)Structuralism Subject and object (philosophy)Subjective idealism Subjectivism Substance theory Substantial form Sufi philosophy Svatantrika–Prasaṅgika distinction Systemics Syādvāda Søren Kierkegaard Taoism Teleology The Phenomenology of Spirit The School of Athens The World as Will and Representation The problem of other minds Theoretical philosophy Theory Theory of Forms Theory of forms Thomas Aquinas Thomas Reid Thomism Thought Tiantai Tibetan Buddhism Timaeus (dialogue)Time Transactionalism Transcendental idealism Transcendental realism (Schelling)Transcendental realism (Schopenhauer)Transcendentalism Truth Truth-value link realism Truthmaker theory Type theory Type–token distinction Ubuntu philosophy Understanding Unity of opposites Universal (metaphysics)Universality (philosophy)Universals (metaphysics)Unobservable Utilitarianism Vagueness Vaisheshika Value (ethics)Value theory Vedanta Veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus Vienna Circle Vietnamese philosophy Virtue ethics Vishishtadvaita Vittorio Benussi Wave function Western Marxism Western philosophy Willard Van Orman Quine Xuanxue Yangism Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Yogachara Yugoslav philosophy Zen Zoroastrianism Zurvanism Ājīvika Śūnyatā

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