antirealism
|an-ti-re-al-ism|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈriː.əˌlɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˈriː.ə.lɪz(ə)m/
against (philosophical) realism
Etymology
'antirealism' originates from Greek and Latin-derived elements: specifically the Greek prefix 'anti' (from 'anti-') meaning 'against', combined with 'realism' (from Modern Latin/French/French 'réalisme' ultimately from Latin 'realis' meaning 'real').
'antirealism' was formed in English in the 20th century by combining the prefix 'anti-' with the noun 'realism'; 'realism' itself developed from Latin 'realis' via French 'réalisme' into modern English 'realism'.
Initially, the compound simply meant 'opposition to realism'; over time it came to label specific philosophical doctrines denying the independent or objective reality of certain kinds of entities (e.g., moral facts, universals, or unobservable theoretical entities).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a general philosophical position that denies the existence or independent reality of certain kinds of entities or of a mind-independent reality claimed by 'realism'.
Antirealism about universals denies that universals exist independently of particular objects.
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Noun 2
in metaethics, the view that moral statements do not report objective, mind-independent facts (often contrasted with moral realism).
Moral antirealism holds that 'wrong' and 'right' do not refer to objective facts but express attitudes or prescriptions.
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Noun 3
in the philosophy of science, a stance that scientific theories are instruments or tools for prediction rather than literally true descriptions of a mind-independent reality (e.g., instrumentalism, constructive empiricism).
Scientific antirealism treats theories as useful instruments even if they are not literally true.
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Last updated: 2025/09/08 19:10