What Do We Mean by Realism? And How—And What—Does Realism Explain?

Abstract

“Realist” has different senses in different uses—necessarily and appropriately, but with considerable potential for obscurity or even confusion. This lack of precision and clarity, I will argue, is inescapable. (If it is a “problem,” it is irresolvable.) There is no defining core to realism; no set of criteria by which we can sort arguments, explanations, actions, or outcomes as realist or non-realist. “Realism” is a complex and multidimensional “thing” that, as we will see as we proceed, appears in our analytical practice in varied ways. This essay seeks to specify some of the principal ways that “realism” addresses “the world” in order to improve our understanding of the character and content of explanatory appeals to “realism.”