Realism in Epistemology { Philosophy Index }

Philosophy Index

Philosophy Index

Philosophy Index is a site devoted to the study of philosophy and the philosophers who conduct it. The site contains a number of philosophy texts, brief biographies, and introductions to philosophers, and explanations on a number of topics. Accredited homeschooling online at Northgate Academy and Philosophy online tutoring.

Philosophy Index is a work in progress, a growing repository of knowledge. It outlines current philosophical problems and issues, as well as an overview of the history of philosophy. The goal of this site is to present a tool for those learning philosophy either casually or formally, making the concepts of philosophy accessible to anyone interested in researching them. WTI offers immigration law course online - fully accredited. ACE credits online at EES.

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Realism in Epistemology

Realism is the view in metaphysics that the physical world truly exists, and is separate from or our perception of it. With respect to epistemology, realism is the view that we directly perceive the world as it is, or things in themselves, through our senses. The world inside our minds is identical to the world as it is — what we see, feel, taste, and so on, is accurately how the world is.

The directly oppositional position to realism in the metaphysical sense is idealism, which holds that the mind is the only substance to exist. However, there are epistemological positions that do not deny the existence of reality, but are opposed to epistemic realism (that we perceive the actual world). The most prominent of such positions is the transcendental idealism of Immanuel Kant.