Metaphysics: Realism vs Anti-Realism - Research Paper Example

Metaphysics- Realism Vs Anti-Realism Introduction The evolution of the metaphysics can be traced back to the days of Aristotle. Aristotle was the one to have introduced this branch of study in the philosophy. The main subject matter of the metaphysics is the existence of the God. Aristotle also defines the subject matter of metaphysics as the study of the being or the “qua being”. The subject matter deals in the existence of the being and the God. The idea is to study the reasons for their existence. Therefore, the subject matter is on one hand departmental, which studies the existence of God and on the other hand, universal-which study the existence of all the beings in the world. There is a visible conflict in the subject matter and Aristotle states that the study of the first part will lead the learners of the subject to the second part. The duality of the subject continued till the medieval period. The subject had a drastic change in the modern period when the subject matter of the metaphysics was divided into different branches. The paper deals in the debate of the realism and the anti-realism facets of the metaphysics and the challenges faced by the anti realism group of study. Realism and Anti Realism The views of Aristotle and the contemporary authors in the field of metaphysics are the reasons for the existence of the being. The views of the older school of thoughts can be termed as the realism. The anti realism is the modern view where the researches in this field of study question the existence of the being using different tools and the techniques. It is what we basically call the “reality” or the modern world. The origins of the anti realism can be mapped back to the 18th century when the different theorists questioned the existence of the thoughts of the older schools. The traditional or the realism views of the study refer to a bunch of ideas. It states that the ideas generating from the mind are representation of the ideas and detects whether the ideas are true or false in the light of the facts considered. The practice of the reality model of the subject brings contrasting results of the study. Some of the study is constrained in the fact that they only view the results as true or false while the others merely state the theories regarding the universal being. The theories of the metaphysical realism state that there is realism in the world independent of our understanding and mind. This can be termed as the mind-independent reality. This means that there is reality in this world, which is not dependent on the views we conceive. This dates back to the era of Aristotle where the author states the existence of God as the basic theme of metaphysics. The realism facet of the metaphysics does not depend on the individuals and is external to the thoughts. The main idea of the metaphysics is to establish the trueness of the facts of the world. In establishing the trueness of the facts the individuals detect a relationship between the thoughts and the happenings of the world. The establishment of the relationship helps to gauge the trueness of the facts. The traditional form of the metaphysics also states that there is only one absolute truth to the existence of the world, which may not be expressed in the terms of the language. The characteristics of the traditional form of the metaphysics underline the existence of the superpower in the universe. Therefore, it can be stated that the prime concern of the traditional form of the metaphysics is the existence of the supreme power or the God. This is in direct correlation with the views of the traditional theorists of the subject and Aristotle. Various theorists of the traditional school of the metaphysics argue that the science will never be able to define the way of the existence of the world and the being. According to Lao Zi, a supporter of the traditional school of thought, “the way that can be spoken of is not the constant way; the name that can be named is not the constant name. The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth; the named was the mother of myriad creatures.” (mou; P 279). The statement of Zi is an example of the general sentiment of the traditional school of thought of the metaphysics. The traditional school accepted the existence of the superpower in the creation of the earth and the environment. The realism concept of the metaphysics accepts the fact that there is an ethical relationship between the conduct of the individual and the ways of conducting the behavior. The morality or the ethical behavior of the person leads him to conduct the life in a better way and a person of good virtue will always lead his life to fulfill the ethics of the world. The traditional views of the metaphysics state that the individuals can form a view of the world, which is independent of our views. Therefore, it can be understood that the traditional school of thought would require the analyzing of the ideas independent of our concepts of the environment and the world. However, the theorists in the 17th and the 18th century argued that this can never be possible and the individuals cannot pursue the idea of the traditional schools as the independent thoughts are not available in the environment of the world. The conception of the ideas cannot be formed independently as the thoughts of the individuals are related to the environment. The traditional views of the metaphysics state that the subject matter of the metaphysics cannot be spoken of in any language. Question arises that if the views cannot be stated in terms of any language, then what is the reason of its analysis by the authors and the theorists. The theory of the metaphysics states that the way of the individual is vague. How can the theorists apprehend the ways or any other component of the theory if it cannot be defined in a definite term or language? The traditionalist view of the metaphysics is engulfed in the idea of dualism and vagueness. The view talks about the existence of impractical supernatural being and the involvement of the God in the creation of the world and the universe. The ideas of the traditional theorists were not acceptable to the modern day theorists and they began to question the acceptability of the reality ideas of the metaphysics. The anti realism view of the metaphysics gained momentum in the 20th century with the rise of the prominent theorists and the authors who began to question the acceptance of the traditional theories. The philosophers of the modern world like Michael Dummett and Hilary Putnam argued against the principles of the traditional view with the help of the writings of the traditional school of theorists. For the modern day theorists, the traditional view appeared as vague and with no definite path. Therefore, they advocated the ideas of anti realism in the metaphysics keeping the basic ideas of the subject same. (Mou; Pp 278-283) The philosophers of the modern world like Dummett and Putnam argued the existence of the mind independent world and the existence of the ultimate truth. The philosophers in their writings advocated the idea of using methods and techniques in finding out the real factors of the problem. The theorists state that the basic idea of the realism concept of the metaphysics is unattainable in the modern world. According to their viewpoints, the ideal metaphysics would state that the tools and the mechanism for the views support the views of the individuals and the world. They have recorded their arguments in favor of the anti realism. It has to be noted here that the path to anti realism is a more recent phenomenon and the theorists devised the way of converting from the traditional domains of realism to the new concepts of the anti realism. Dummett’s View Dummett was one of the principal believer in the cause of the anti realist view of the metaphysics. According to him the difference between the realist and the anti realist view of the metaphysics is the evolution of the theories in the statemental discourse. The philosopher states that the main idea behind the evolution of the theories has base in the ‘truth conditional theory of meaning’. The theory states that a statement becomes applicable and is held true when it conveys a meaning in the state of affairs of the modern world. The main idea of the statement and the trueness of the fact are realized and then the words are arranged in order to get the essence of the statement. The statement thus constructed should be able to cater to the world about the true facts. The main idea of the theory is to establish the truth and the ability to make the people understand about the fact. This states the basic ideas behind the realism school of thought of the metaphysics. The anti realism school of thought is just opposite of the views of the realism and has been propagated by the philosophers like Dummett. Dummett relinquishes the truth conditional theory that was the base of the realist view of the metaphysics. In the place of the truth conditional theory, Dummett introduces the idea of the ‘epistemic theory of meaning’. The theory does not believe in the idea of the relation of the statement and the happenings in the world. The tools of the justification gauging the trueness of the statement should accompany the meaning of the statement. The tools o0f the justification may be evidences, warrants etc. The realist view of the metaphysics states the trueness of the statement by the nature of the environment of the world. However, the anti realism view rejects the idea of the realism view of the metaphysics. The anti realism view of the metaphysics states the statements are told to be true if they are justifiable in the world environment with the help of the evidences. However, if the statements are such that they cannot be justifiable in terms of evidences and warrants the anti realist view points rejects the trueness of the statements and render it to be false. Dummett also argues against the language of the realism view of the metaphysics. The realism view of the metaphysics states that the reader of the statements has to know the external conditions of the environment to gauge the trueness of the statement. Drummett is of view that it is not possible in all conditions for the readers of the statement to know the external conditions of the state of affairs. In these conditions, the reader should have the freedom of verifying the statements with the help of the evidences and warrants. Another view of the anti realism view of the metaphysics is that the readers of the statements are powered by the extrinsic and the intrinsic education. The extrinsic education can be expressed in terms of words and the intrinsic education cannot be verbalized. The intrinsic education may consist of the inherent education like the learning to swim. Most of the statements that are understood by the learners can be extrinsically explained but there are some statements, which cannot be formulized in the form of words. The anti realty views of the study gives the learners the scope of learning the statements intrinsically. Critics do not comply with the theories of Dummet completely. According to Dummet the theories and the statements should be verifiable with the help of evidences and warrants. However, it has to be believed that there are some statements, which are not verifiable in the modern context. They also argue that the methods of justification can vary over time and the components in the method of justification changes over time. According to their view the trueness of the statements is an integral part of the statement. Another integral part in the anti realist view of the metaphysics is the referencing of the statement. By the term referencing it is meant how the readers perceive the meaning of the statement. It has to be stated that the meaning of the statements are related to the background of the reader in terms of language and the culture. It is evident that a person speaking in the slang within Australia will not make a Japanese understand the essence of his statement. In most cases the person of the Japanese dissent will understand the statement wrongly and interpret different meanings out of it. Therefore, the anti realism promoted by Dummett strengthens the need of the tools and the methods of the understanding of the views of the happenings in the world. The views are in direct contrast to the realism view of the metaphysics though the base of the subject is the same and is engaged in the knowledge of the being. Putnam’s view Another philosopher who coherently denied the views of the realism school of thought is Putnam. The major portion of the study of Putnam consisted of the referncing view of Quine, which was used by Dummett in his study. In one part of his study, Putnam states the use of the linguistic skills and in the other part involves the existence of the mind independent world. Extending the study of Quine, Putnam states that the language of an individual determines the understanding of the readers to a large extent. It may not be possible for the reader to interpret the true meaning of the statement if some indefinite terms are used. Quine states the use of the term “Rabbit” in a sentence. The use of the term rabbit may direct the thinker to interpret different meanings. Putnam states that the interpretations of the statements of the writers or the speakers depend on various constraints like the operational constraint and the theoretical constraints. The operational constraints of the interpretation depend on the observational techniques of the interpreter. The observational techniques of the interpreter may state the observation of the speaker in terms of the linguistic behavior of the speaker. The second constraint deals in the selection of the methods of guiding principles of the characteristics of the speaker. The observational techniques of the interpreter depend on the observation of the speaker by the interpreter closely. The use of the words of the speaker in the lecture can tell certain facts of the speakers and the language he is using in the talk. The type of the language the speaker uses in the lecture will underline the fact what language and what terms he is using. The language and the traits of the speaking of a speaker will vary according to the region of the world he resides. Therefore, observing the speaker closely will tell the type of the language he is using. Some of the words used by the speaker may not be interpreted by the speaker himself. However, if the speaker knows the origin of the speaker he may be able to gauge to a certain extent the meaning of the tem and he will interpret the meaning of the statements correctly. For example, the use of the term “mate” is an integral part of the Australian culture and if the interpreter knows that the speaker is of Australian decent he will understand the meaning of the term and the purpose of his use of the term. Another part of the argument of Putnam is the use of the use of the theories in determining the origin of the speaker and the use of his words. Theoretical constraints of the anti realism view is the study of the existing theories of the fact and knowing the details of the happenings. The lecture can talk about the facts of some happenings, which may be alien to the listener. On the other hand, the lecture may talk about some facts that are known to the listener. In the second case, the listener is more likely to learn from the lecture. If the listener is able to combine the observational and the theoretical techniques, he is more likely to interpret the meaning of the statements. (Loux, 250-295) Putnam’s view like that of Drummet discusses the tools and the techniques of the metaphysics and helps in the understanding of the subject. Conclusion The realism view of the metaphysics dates back to the olden days. The realism views of state the study of the being and the supreme power of the universe. In the interpretation of the realism view, it can be stated that the main agenda of the realism view of the metaphysics is the study of the existence of God. The realism view also states the study of the being. The realism view of the metaphysics believed in the existence of the one truth in the world, which cannot be described in terms of language. The main aim of the realism school was to establish the trueness of the happenings in the world. However, these views of the metaphysics were contradicted and argued upon by the new school of thought. The anti realism view of the metaphysics were concerned with the tools and the methods of establishing the truth. The writings and the views of the theorists of the anti realism view of the metaphysics state that it is essential for the writers and the speakers to make the listeners understand and interpret the meanings of their views. For this purpose, the listeners should be provided with the evidence and the justifications. It is not possible for the listeners or the readers to interpret correctly all time and it depends on the techniques used by the interpreter in understanding the views of the theorists. Therefore, the anti realism view talks about the methods of the technique while the realism view states the principles without evidence. The anti realism view is the more scientific of the two and it helps in the understanding of the listeners and the readers. Works Cited 1. Mou,Bo. Comparative approaches to Chinese Philosophy. England. Ashgate Publishing. 2003. 2. Loux, Michael. Metaphysics: a contemporary introduction. London. Routledge. 1998. Read More