Bridging Philosophy and Science: Defining the Essence of Reality

In the world of ideas and research, reality appears before us in a dual light: on one hand, it is the object of pure thought, and on the other, the material of empirical study. The philosophical perspective, enriched by ancient traditions, emphasizes the relationship between the subject and the object. Here, reality does not merely exist independently – it is formed by the active participation of human consciousness, vividly demonstrating the struggle between realism in its classical scholastic expression and idealism, which underlines the creative influence of thought on the structure of being.

The main part of our reflections shows that philosophy strives to free the spirit from the confines of the purely sensory world. The problem of the relationship between thought and being becomes an instrument in the search for truth, with the idealistic position setting the tone by emphasizing the active participation of the subject in creating reality. The scientific picture of the world, in turn, is built upon strict empirical evidence and experimental methods, aiming to provide an objective description of phenomena. Here, the emphasis is on the fact that any physical characteristic is limited by its nature, as illustrated by the famous uncertainty principle.

The concluding section of our blog emphasizes that despite apparent differences, philosophical and scientific perspectives complement each other in the quest to grasp the wholeness of being. Philosophy inspires us to search for deep meanings and overcome the boundaries of phenomena, while science, armed with methods of objective analysis, helps to specify and test hypotheses. This interaction opens up possibilities for a new outlook on reality, merging the richness of metaphysical reflection with the precision of empirical research, and invites us to an endless quest for truth.

How can the concept of reality be defined from both philosophical and scientific points of view?

The philosophical view on the concept of reality is, first and foremost, connected with the problem of the relationship between thought and being. On one hand, there are realism and idealism. Realism, especially in its Thomistic (scholastic) form, insists that reality exists independently of our thought, whereas idealism emphasizes the activity of the subject in the process of perception and understanding of the world. For example, one source notes:
"Defining what the reality of the spirit is and what reality is in general depends on solving the problem of the relationship between thought and being. Two solutions are considered classical – realism and idealism. The classical form of realism should be considered scholastic, Thomistic realism. The realism of the 19th and 20th centuries is already a corrupted and diminished realism. Thomistic realism consciously wants to be naive realism; it critically rejects criticism of cognition..." (source: link ).

On the other hand, the idea of an idealistic point of view is also presented:
"The idealistic point of view asserted the activity of the subject in the perception and cognition of the world; it sought to determine what is introduced by thinking. We accept as reality, coming from objects, that which is the subject's construction, the objectification of the products of thought." (source: link ).

Furthermore, the philosophical understanding of reality often incorporates reflections on how the experience of the sensory world does not provide a complete picture of the wholeness of being. Thus, it becomes clear that philosophical cognition represents an act of liberating the spirit from the claims of the phenomenal world:
"Is that which most forces acknowledgment truly the most real? Philosophical cognition is an act of self-liberation of the spirit from the exclusive claims on reality made by the world of phenomena. And here is something striking: the world as a whole, as a cosmos, is never given in the experience of the sensory phenomenal world. The phenomenon is always partial..." (source: link ).

The scientific definition of reality, in contrast, relies on empirical research and the pursuit of clarifying phenomena, excluding speculative and metaphysical reasoning. Here, reality is seen as an object of knowledge, accessible through the analysis of phenomena and experimental verification. For instance, one source emphasizes:
"This connection can be expressed in the following brief statements. The only subject of genuine, real knowledge is phenomena (the general principle of critical, or phenomenal, realism); but phenomena are known, firstly..." (source: link ).

The scientific perspective also takes into account the limitations of defining physical characteristics, as illustrated by the famous uncertainty principle:
"To define one characteristic means making it impossible to define another. W. Heisenberg expressed this discovery in his uncertainty principle..." (source: link ).

Moreover, there is the view that reality should be clarified through the scientific method, rather than remaining an object of metaphysical speculation:
"Reality is something that requires scientific clarification, not metaphysical speculations..." (source: link ).

Thus, from the philosophical point of view, the concept of reality is discussed through the lens of the relationship between the subject and the object, emphasizing the active role of thought and its influence on the perception of being. From the scientific perspective, reality is seen as a phenomenon subject to objective analysis, confirmation, and elucidation through empirical experience and theoretical experimental approaches.

Supporting citation(s):
"Defining what the reality of the spirit is and what reality is in general depends on solving the problem of the relationship between thought and being. Two solutions are considered classical – realism and idealism. The classical form of realism should be considered scholastic, Thomistic realism. The realism of the 19th and 20th centuries is already a corrupted and diminished realism. Thomistic realism consciously wants to be naive realism; it critically rejects criticism of cognition..." (source: link )

"The idealistic point of view asserted the activity of the subject in the perception and cognition of the world; it sought to determine what is introduced by thinking. We accept as reality, coming from objects, that which is the subject's construction, the objectification of the products of thought." (source: link )

"This connection can be expressed in the following brief statements. The only subject of genuine, real knowledge is phenomena (the general principle of critical, or phenomenal, realism); but phenomena are known, firstly..." (source: link )

"To define one characteristic means making it impossible to define another. W. Heisenberg expressed this discovery in his uncertainty principle..." (source: link )

"Reality is something that requires scientific clarification, not metaphysical speculations..." (source: link )