Philosophy : Realism – moral, scientific and metaphysical

‘Realism’ includes the views that there is a real world out there and that there are objective moral values (which we can discover, at least in principle). It has been a feature of Philosophy for a very long time but its influence has varied. In the 21st century there has been a revival of realism in response to ‘relativist’ views and particular developments. For example, there has been increasing discomfort that without objective truth there is no common basis for arguing against conspiracy theories. Relativism asserts that what counts as true or real and what is regarded as morally binding varies between individuals and societies. This course starts with a summary of these relativist arguments. We will then consider three forms of realism. Scientific realism claims that there is a/one real world, which the application of scientific methods allows us to understand and represent accurately, at least in principle. Moral realism argues that moral values are also facts, which people don’t actually disagree about. ‘Murder is wrong’ is often mentioned as an example of such as fact. Metaphysical realism is the view that there is a/one real world, which we may or may be able to access using scientific methods.