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The world that one lives in is viewed from different angles, and it
is through these angles that individuals attempt to explain the unknown
and what lies beyond. Indeed, what lies beyond one’s perception is
truly intriguing, and has been a point over which much has been
debated. Generally, two well-known positions that oppose each other in
these debates include the materialist approach and the metaphysical
approach. Each of these have their own unique views, and each of these
claim to be realistic. Whichever of the two one chooses to stand by is
another question, but they each make sense in their own right.
It must be asserted that materialists are those who hold that there
is nothing more to the world which one lives in aside from the matter
that one is exposed to. This refers to every thing tangible and all
that affects one physically. Moreover, this view takes science to be
its strong supporter because of the fact that it provides physical
explanations to how the physical world functions. Opposing this
viewpoint is the metaphysical one or the Aristotelian one. This is
because this view holds that there is more to the world than what one
sees and feels. There are more things beyond the human being that s/he
is capable of knowing. Indeed, there is a lot that one will never know
and there is immense scope for investigation and exploration. However,
there are particular views to which Aristotle holds as a realist
As a realist, Aristotle may be considered to be an individual who
believes in the proof that is present before him, as well as the
possibility of all that is not within one’s grasp. This refers to his
view of the psyche. A human being’s psyche is something that may not
always be accounted for . This is because there are particular
characteristics about one’s psyche that may not be explained.
Intertwining this concept is that of the soul, that is believed to be a
human being’s continuous form. It is this form that is believed to
reveal to one what lies ahead, and it is the soul that makes a person.
Without it, there is little substance to an individual. The soul is the
continuous form of human existence that goes beyond matter and
perception. Often, as human beings, one does is deceived by what lies a
few feet away, and it is this deception in a physical sense that is
used to make sense of what lies beyond death. Coming down from Plato’s
work in the allegory of the cave, one can see the deeper significance
in this because in a realistic view one can see the manner in which the
human sense can so easily deceive one in the simplest of ways .
In this sense, realism comes into the picture and along with it so
does the concept of life beyond the physical world one experiences.
This is why philosophical realism holds that other worlds and every
other thing that humans do not know about exist independent of anyone
thinking about them. Deviating from this line of thought is an
alternative kind of realist who deals with the world in its literal
sense. Here, one can observe two types of realists. However, there are
others that may be highlighted, and they are as follows: structural
realists, biological realists, radical realists, strong realists, and
finally hedged realists (Donnelly, 2000). The five types of realists
mentioned may not be in sync with the types of realists that is of
interest here. Therefore, the two types of realists described prior to
the five mentioned are the ones that are relevant. Generally, one may
assert that the realist, who believes in other universals and other
unknown things operating independently of human knowledge, is the kind
that is opposed to materialist thought. This strongly refers to those
who believe in the concept of the soul. Indeed, the soul is believed to
be the psyche, and this is something that extends in manners which
sometimes cannot be defined completely.
Hence, it goes beyond what one can describe. If the psyche is
something that one cannot encompass by words, one cannot be certain
about what lies beyond the human body and a limited way of thinking.
This is because there is so much more to look forward too and so much
tat can be discovered. This is in fact a realistic way to observe the
world and keep an open mind to possibilities . Realists who believe in
the literal world are perhaps the ones that are on the same platform as
materialists. It might be argued that they only believe in the tangible
and all that is scientifically explained; matter and occurrences that
can be explained scientifically are also included in materialist
notions. In comparing the two forms of realism, one is compelled to
observe the limitations of each view. In this regard, it can easily be
asserted that the realism that limits itself to the literal world is
the one that ignores possibilities. Man, having lived in this world for
a long time has always been surprised at every nook and corner. Even
science had its surprises. Hence, it would be wiser to do away with
limited modes of thought.
Finally, one may assert that to keep an open mind to possibility is
a wise approach. One does not know what lies ahead, and it would be
wiser to accept views that there is indeed no much that one knows about
the eternal world. Even scientific thought would agree with this view
because it is true to say that science itself has accepted a great many
possibilities for existence in other parts of the universe. Hence, to
accept and support Aristotle’s realist view is a wise approach rather
than supporting a limited approach that only deals with what is known.
This is because not keeping an open mind can result in ignorance of
things that are obvious, and this is the attitude tat slows one down.
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