AGUILA, Rimar C.

Realism Theory
Realism denotes two distinct sets of philosophical theories, one regarding the nature of
universal concepts and the other dealing with knowledge of objects in the world. First,
there is a claim about existence. Tables, rocks, the moon, and so on, all exist, as do the
following facts: the table's being square, the rock's being made of granite, and the
moon's being spherical and yellow. The second aspect of realism about the everyday
world of macroscopic objects and their properties concerns independence. The fact that
the moon exists and is spherical is independent of anything anyone happens to say or
think about the matter. In late - classical and medieval philosophy, realism was a
development of the Platonic theory of Forms and held, generally, that universals such
as "red" or "man" have an independent, objective existence, either in a realm of their
own or in the mind of God. In its most general form realism asserts that objects in the
external world exist independently of what is thought about them. The theory of
knowledge that maintains that "universals" (general concepts representing the common
elements belonging to individuals of the same genus or species) have a separate
existence apart from individual objects.
Realism theory is the belief that many or most cognitive biases are not "errors", but
instead logical and practical reasoning methods of dealing with the "real world".
Anselm's form of realism led him to accept revealed truth, but was convinced that one
should exercise reason in apprehending the truth. He believed that one must exist in
reality as well as in thought, for if it existed in thought only, a greater being could be
conceived of. Thus from consideration of an ideal or universal Anselm believed that he
could derive truth about what actually exists.

Philosopher: John Locke

Biography:
Born
Died

29 August 1632
Wrington, Somerset, England
28 October 1704 (aged 72)

High Laver, Essex, England

Nationality English
Era

17th-century philosophy

(Modern philosophy)
He was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of
Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism". He
postulated that, at birth, the mind was a blank slate or tabula rasa. Between 1652 and
1667, John Locke was a student and then lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford, where he
focused on the standard curriculum of logic, metaphysics and classics. He also studied
medicine extensively and was an associate of Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle and other
leading Oxford scientists. Lockes Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)
outlined a theory of human knowledge, identity and selfhood. To Locke, knowledge was
not the discovery of anything either innate or outside of the individual, but simply the
accumulation of facts derived from sensory experience. To discover truths beyond the
realm of basic experience, Locke suggested an approach modeled on the rigorous
methods of experimental science.

Justify why you like the theory.

I favored the realism theory because, as stated above, this theory states the
logical and practical reasoning methods of dealing with the "real world. I believe that
ones perception toward an object doesnt really depict the reality of it. I couldnt agree
more with what John Locke stated about realism, in fact, this quotation made me
support his theory. He states that The mind represents the external world, but does not

duplicate it. Because, in my opinion, as a matter of fact, if we witness something

through our own naked eye, we tend to have different opinion and perception about it.
And that represents on how we see the real world. Its based on how we interpret an
object and situation. For an instance, a photograph, if youre going to look on a single
picture to a different kind of persons, they could have a different interpretation on what
its in the picture. stating that what appears in the photo is not fully accurate compared
to reality. A one picture doesnt describe a reality. I once misjudged an old photo on
facebook, a woman whos wearing an over revealing clothes, showing her cleavage,
and too much exposure of her skin. I thought shes a slut, but in reality, maybe that
picture is just a requirement for her work as a model. Its not because were perceiving
something, it already defines the reality. I like his theory because he described simple
ideas as those which originate in one sense and cannot be broken down any further.
The theory merely states that our perception or what we see doesnt always speak the
reality.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realism_theory
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism/
http://www.history.com/topics/john-locke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke
http://www.angelfire.com/vamp/raeya/writing/realism.html