ˈrēəˌlizəm, ˈriə- also ˈrēˌl- sometimes ˈriˌl- noun
( -s )
Etymology: German realismus philosophical realism, from Late Latin realis real, actual + German -ismus -ism — more at real
1. : preoccupation with fact or reality : objective procedure not influenced by idealism, speculation, or sentimentalism : disposition to think and act objectively and unemotionally and to reject what is impractical or visionary
2.
a. : a doctrine in philosophy that universals exist outside the mind : the conception that what a general or abstract term names is an independent and unitary reality or essence:
(1) : the doctrine that universals exist prior to things — called also Platonic realism
(2) : the doctrine that universals exist in things — called also Aristotelian realism
b. : the philosophical conception that objects of sense perception or sometimes of cognition in general are real in their own right and exist independently of their being known or related to mind — called also epistemological realism ; compare idealism , phenomenalism
c. : a doctrine or theory in sociology that holds that a human collectivity, group, or institution has a reality apart from the individual members comprising it — contrasted with nominalism
3.
a. : the theory or practice in art and literature of fidelity to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization of the most typical views, details, and surroundings of the subject
photographic realism or naturalism in the realm of art — John Somerville
— opposed to idealism
b. : excessive minuteness of detail or preoccupation with trivial, sordid, or squalid subjects in art and literature
a fearless realism that exploited until then forbidden subject matter — J.W.Aldridge
4. : a conception of the science of law and of the administration of justice that sees significance in the unique elements of particular cases, judges rules by their consequences, and emphasizes the nonlogical and irrational factors in decision