Realism
Explanations
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Philosophies of Social Research > Realism
Principle |
Discussion | See also
Principle
Things exist, whether or not anyone is thinking of them.
Discussion
A perennial problem of philosophy is what really exists independently of
people and what is a product of our minds. Even if we accept the existence of
concrete things, then the question continues into more intangible concepts such
as 'yellow' and 'happiness'.
Realism goes back to Pre-Socratic Greeks such as Parmenides, but for modern
purposes was reawoken by such as psychologist William James and Bertrand Russell
as a reaction against the increasingly ethereal Idealism,
which was questioning the existence of anything.
See also
Empiricism
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