Paul,

There are realists about science, but antirealists with regard to math, realists about time, but antirealist regards to morality, etc.

***Only you monists have to choose between realism and antirealism (which I think is another word for idealism.)***

An idealist is concerned with what substance composes the world (namely mental things). A monist is a question of 'how many' things compose the world (i.e., one thing). For example, I am a monist in that I say that the world is ultimately reduced to one thing which "something that I know not what".

Dualists, if I'm not mistaken, are mainly concerned about what composes the 'mind'. If you believe that we have a soul which interacts with our brain, then you are dualist. If you think that the brain is all there is to the 'mind', then you are a materialist. The term materialists is used in another definition for someone who thinks all there is are material things (which is contrasted against idealists who think only mental things exist).

It's very complicated. Someone ought to come up with a chart, huh?

Warm regards, Harv

• Then what is its usefulness? - pmartin - January 31, 2002 - 16:12 UTC
  • The basic terms are agreed upon - harvey1 - January 31, 2002 - 18:30 UTC