Overview

The Realism vs. Anti-Realism debate is the battle for reality. Does the world exist “out there” waiting to be discovered (Realism), or do we “construct” it through our language, culture, and minds (Anti-Realism)?

Core Idea

The core idea is independence.

  • Realist: Truth is correspondence to facts. Electrons exist whether we believe in them or not.
  • Anti-Realist: Truth is coherence or utility. “Electron” is just a useful concept we invented to predict observations.

Formal Definition

  • Realism: Entities of a certain type have an objective existence, independent of our knowledge or perception.
  • Anti-Realism: The existence of those entities is dependent on our minds, language, or verification.

Intuition

  • The Tree in the Forest:
    • Realist: It makes a sound. The sound waves are physical.
    • Anti-Realist: Sound is an experience. No ear, no sound.
  • Math:
    • Realist (Platonist): Numbers exist in a heavenly realm. We discover them.
    • Anti-Realist: Math is a game of symbols we invented.

Examples

  • Scientific Realism: Our best theories describe reality. Atoms are real.
  • Moral Realism: “Murder is wrong” is a fact, like “Grass is green.”
  • Social Constructionism: “Money” and “Gender” are real, but only because we agree they are (Anti-realist about their natural existence).

Common Misconceptions

  • Misconception: Anti-realists think walls aren’t real and you can walk through them.
    • Correction: No, they usually argue that the concept “wall” is a human category, or that our access to the “real” wall is mediated by our mind.
  • Misconception: Realism is obviously true.
    • Correction: Quantum mechanics (Observer Effect) makes naive realism very hard to defend.
  • Truth: Correspondence theory (Realist) vs. Coherence/Pragmatic theory (Anti-Realist).
  • Idealism: The ultimate anti-realist position (only minds exist).
  • Phenomenology: Focuses on experience rather than external reality.

Applications

  • Science: Should we believe our theories are True, or just useful tools (Instrumentalism)?
  • Ethics: Are human rights discovered or invented?

Criticism and Limitations

  • The “No Miracles” Argument: Realists argue that if science wasn’t describing reality, its amazing success would be a miracle.
  • Pessimistic Meta-Induction: Anti-realists argue that every past scientific theory was wrong (Newton, Phlogiston), so our current ones probably are too.

Further Reading

  • The View From Nowhere by Thomas Nagel
  • Representing and Intervening by Ian Hacking