Realism: Exploring the Divide Between What Exists and What Humans Make of It

Realism is one of the oldest forms of philosophy, dating back to Plato in 400 BCE. Its central tenet is that reality exists in de pen dent of the human mind; therefore, what we know at any point in time is only an approximation of true reality. Realist philosophers hold diverse views about realism, and there is no consensus regarding what specifically constitutes the philosophy. Regardless of the differences in perspectives, scholars do agree on two general aspects of realism: a claim about existence and a claim about mind-independence (A. Miller, 2016; C. Miller, 2002). The claim about existence or being relates to ontological questions and takes a stance on the need to acknowledge that there is a world, facts, or entities that exist. The second claim of mind-independence responds to epistemological questions and claims that the existence of the world, facts, or entities is not affected by our conceptual schemes such as theories, values, and language (Brock & Mares, 2014; Devitt, 1991; Gadenne, 2014). Simply put, mind-independence refers to existence outside of human mental activity (cognition) and beyond the reach of sensory perception. Just because we do not perceive certain things (e.g., black holes, dark matter, viruses, proteins) does not mean that they do not exist.