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The Advocates

Similar to idealism, realism is also one of the oldest philosophies in western culture and its origin began with the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) in ancient Greece. Being a longtime star student of Plato, he elaborated on the idealist view of reality being based on ideas and not matter. He thought that a proper study of matter could lead to better and more distinct ideas.

Religious realism came about through Thomas Aquinas, who like Augustine, was heavily influenced by ancient Greek culture and combined his ideas with Christianity. This is known as the classical period. Modern and contemporary realism consists of scientific, natural and rational realism. Some philosophers of this later period include Francis Bacon, John Locke, Alfred Whitehead and Bertrand Russell.