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Realism Notes
Realism Notes
“Realism means a belief or theory which looks upon the world as it seems to us to be a mere
phenomenon.”——Swami Ram Tirth.
Introduction: Realism is the doctrine that is associated with the study of the world we live
in. It is a philosophy away from the world of ideas or spiritual things. In Realism the word
‘real’ denotes actual or the existing. It indicates those things or events which exist in the
world in its own right. It opposes the thing or event which is imaginary or fictitious. It holds
the view that knowledge acquired through senses is true and what we observe and perceive
through our own senses is real and the true entity of the world. It says that physical world is
objective and factual whereas personal feelings and desires are subjective and secondary.
That is why this philosophy is also known as objectivism. Aristotle is generally regarded as
the father of Realism. John Locke, Erasmas, Rabelias, Comenius, Bertrand Russell, Francis
Bacon, Milton are the chief protagonists of Realism.
According to C.V. Good, “Realism is the doctrine that objective reality or the material
universe exists independently of conscious mind, its nature and properties are being affected
by being known.”
1. Developing Physical and Mental Powers: The physical and mental powers are
required for developing intelligence, discrimination and judgements by which
learners will be able to overcome the challenges of life.
2. Developing Vocational Efficiency: This type of realistic aim makes education
craft-centric. Realism is in favour of developing vocational efficiencies among
learners so that they can prepare themselves for fulfilling livelihood demands.
3. Realism and Method of Teaching: Realism aims to prepare learners for real and
practical life. It calls for teaching-learning methodologies on the basis of subjects
and interests of the learners.
4. Inductive Method: Inductive method of teaching enables the learners to generalize
the truth from a particular fact. It encourages the construction of knowledge from
particular to general. At first, the object is shown to the learners and then its
description is demonstrated. It encourages learners to observe and experiment by
means of their senses.
5. Deductive Method: This method of teaching enables learners to arrive at a specific
truth from general principles. It encourages the construction of knowledge from
general to particular. It improves the reasoning capacity of learners.
Conclusion: Realism provides a new light and wisdom which produces remarkable changes
in the principles and practices of education. It should be mentioned that in the realm of Indian
Philosophy, the doctrine of Realism has been pronounced since the time of Vedas. On the
other hand, the notion of Realism was evident in the thoughts of Buddhism and Jainism.