The Many Faces of Realism

The Many Faces of Realism refer to different perspectives within the philosophical and practical understanding of realism. In philosophy, realism broadly asserts that an external reality exists independent of our perceptions. However, this idea has various interpretations: some emphasize scientific realism’s trust in science’s ability to describe this reality accurately, while others, like moral realism, believe that moral truths exist independently of human beliefs. Similarly, in international relations, realism focuses on power struggles between states. Overall, these diverse viewpoints share a core belief in an external, objective reality but differ in how they understand and interpret it across disciplines.