Questions tagged [realism]
Realism is a view that the statements of a subject matter refer to what is real and therefore could be assigned a definite true or false valuation if we knew what that valuation should be. A realist need not be so for all subject matters but only for a select set of subject matters.
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Is there a "hard problem of aesthetics?"
As a society, we already spend a lot of time and energy predicting what somebody will find enjoyable; programmers and psychologists have spent decades honing recommendation algorithms to predict what ...
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Can there be mathematical facts of the matter without mathematical realism?
Can statements involving mathematical expressions or comparisons be true without mathematical realism? For example, consider the following statements:
"Peter is taller than John."
"The ...
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Is there any knowledge such that a realist mindset is necessary to grasp it? (As apposed to an anti-realist mindset)
I'm trying to learn what the stakes are in the realism vs anti-realism debate across science, mathematics, and everything really. Is it the case an anti-realist (about scientific objects, mathematical ...
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Ideas and Immanent Realism
I’ve got a question that I’m hoping someone can pull the threads of in both my understanding and my line of thinking. Please understand that I’m an infant in philosophy.
Essentially, I want to ...
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Mathematical Realism and 0=1
Mathematical Realism is the notion that mathematical truth exists, and is not subjective or merely a mental construction.
Inspired by Noah Schweber’s recent post on Math Stack Exchange: https://math....
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Are there several types of mind-independence?
Mind-independence relates to the famous falling tree nobody sees or hears, but which may still make a sound. We claim that the process is independent of our consciousness, and that therefore the ...
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Arguments in favor of constituent ontology?
What is the reason for thinking that there is such a thing as proper parts and that things like properties are parts of an object. Why believe that things are metaphysically composite, let alone ...
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Can Balaguer’s argument we don’t, and couldn’t, have any good argument for Platonism or ficitonalism in math extend to realism/antirealism in general?
Mark Balaguer is a philosopher who advances the position there is one form of mathematical Platonism, that every consistent mathematical object exists, and one form of anti Platonism, ficitonalism. ...
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What is the status of philosophical literature of quantum state realism?
According to the SEP article here, a framework was introduced that seemed to provide some evidence against anti realistic options of quantum mechanics. The relevant quotes are as follows:
Harrigan ...
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Can the laws of physics and the constants of nature exist in a fundamental sense without mathematical realism?
Can the laws of physics and fundamental constants of nature exist without fundamental mathematical constants, operators, and equations also existing?
In other words, can there be fundamental physical ...
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How can immaterial soul exist without matter but immaterial redness can't?
So as the title says Aristotle and Aquinas held that soul which is substantial form of living things can exist even after separation from body. This is because soul is taken as immaterial substantial ...
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Semantic externalism and transitivity of causal chains (using Putnam's brain-in-a-vat thought experiment)
TL;DR: I'm looking for information on semantic externalist views on transitivity of causal chains. Is it an objection anyone has invoked? Does it hold? What are potential pro-Putnam responses to it?
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Is there any kind of consensus among experts about Direct Realism?
I've been reading about Direct and Indirect Realism lately, and I came across this Stanford Encyclopaedia article.
In the Conclusion section, the article ends with this: "The question, now, is ...
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Aristotelian realism of universals
I'm trying to understand this realism. There are universals that exist in particulars and they are all identical. Is this Identity a numerical identity? i.e. are these universals one and the same ...
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Does something that exists hypothetically exist at all?
So, I was asking myself the question: if something will exist in the future, with almost absolute certainty, but has not come to existence yet, can one claim that it exists? And, can one claim that it ...
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