Getting Realistic about Islamic Realism

Getting Realistic about Islamic Realism

The philosophical uses of the term realism are varied and related in complex ways. The purpose of this paper is not to defend or attack any particular form of realism, but to provide a general guide to the conceptual terrain. Most of the philosophical views that position themselves under the banner of realism, have two key features: reification and independence. If one is a realist about F s, one will hold: 1. F s exist; 2. The existence and features of F s are independent of preferences, thoughts about F s, social norms, or other factors taken to undermine the possibility of objective knowledge about F s. Many realists define their views with respect to a distinction between mental existence and external existence, which has its roots in the works of Ibn Sina. They interpret condition (2) as the requirement that the existence and features of F s are independent of the mental. They may also add a third condition in addition to (2) or as an alternative to it: 3. The existence and features of F s are dependent on relevant features of the external world. In contemporary Western metaphysics, realism is often presented as a thesis about truth-makers. Realists about F s hold that what make propositions about F s true are facts about the external world. Realism is often contrasted with idealism; although current discussions also contrast it with non-realism, anti-realism, and fictionalism. Finally, relations between objectivity and realism will be sketched.