Realism in philosophy asserts that material objects exist independently of human perception in the external world. It distinguishes between particulars, which are concrete entities, and universals, which refer to their properties. Aristotle is credited with popularizing realism by opposing Plato's idealism and emphasizing that reality can be known through sensory experience.

1. What is
REALISM?

2. REALISM, in philosophy,
refers to the view that the
“reality” of any material
objects exists in the external
world independently of the
human mind.

3. Put differently,
realism holds that
what one perceives is real
and is out there existing
in concrete reality.

4. For example, the
“maple tree” that I see
with my naked eyes is
existing in concrete
reality and is not just
an abstract concept
produced by the mind
as the idealists would
have us believe.

5. Hence, the fact that the maple
tree exists in the external world
and has properties of its own
such as hardness and thickness,
that maple tree is independent
of anyone’s perception—
it is therefore “real”.

6. Full transcript of this presentation is
available at:
https://philonotes.com/index.php/2019/11/14/what
-is-realism/
A video version of this presentation is
available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epop9vwK6qk&
t=41s

7. Contrary to nominalism,
which holds that universals
do not exist independently
from particulars, realism holds
that both universals and
particulars exist independently
from each other.

8. In metaphysics, the term
“particulars” refers to concrete,
spatiotemporal entities or objects,
such as a tree or a book.
Often times, the term “individuals”
is used interchangeably with
“particulars”.

9. One of the most
distinctive
characteristics of
“particulars” is
that they cannot
be in more than
one place at the
same time.
For example, if a specific
maple tree is existing in a
specific time and place, it
cannot be in another time
and place at the same time.

10. The term
“universals” refers
to the properties or
characteristics
possessed by a
particular, concrete
spatiotemporal
object, such as
color or hardness.
For example, the
“whiteness” of a book
can also be instantiated
in the “whiteness” of a
dress or a paper.

11. Scholars in philosophy believed
that it was Aristotle who first
popularized realism when he
opposed Plato’s idealism and
argued that the “real” exists in
the sensible world which can be
known through experience.

12. As we can see, it was
Aristotle who provided
the fundamental
structure of the
development of realism
and its penetration in
other disciplines, such
as in arts and politics.