“Common sense realism” is
the important, but mostly forgotten, philosophy of the Scottish
thinkers Thomas Reid (1710-96), James Beattie (1735-1803), and Dugald
Steward (1753-1828), among others. It stands in striking contrast to
the “irrational nonsense” philosophy of Parmenides, Protagoras,
Zeno of Elea, Gorgias, Pyrrho, and Sextus Empiricus; as well as
Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and Hegel. For the greatness and happiness of
the Individual, as well as for the success and harmony of society,
it’s crucial that the rational and sensible philosophy of Reid and
company triumph.
Common
sense realism is essentially a metaphysics and epistemology which is
based upon common and universal beliefs which no-one fundamentally or
truly doubts, or can reasonably or plausibly deny. This includes such
claims as: X is X; X=X; if X, then X; 1+1=2; if A=B and B=C then A=C;
existence exists; reality is real; Nature is natural; the universe is
fundamentally material; truth and facts exist; the truth is true;
facts are factually accurate; things exist; you exist; you’re
conscious; you have free will; things change over time; you change
over time; living rationally is rational; obeying science is
scientific; life is better than death; health is better than disease
or injury; pleasure is better than pain; happiness is better than
misery; food is better than poison; Michelangelo paints better than
an elephant; and The Beatles play better music than a 3-year-old
banging on a pot. All such claims are clearly and obviously factually
accurate and true to reality, just as all such denials of them lack
foundation, soundness, coherence, plausibility, sensibility, logic,
reasonableness, objectivity, and tangible evidence.
None of the claims above are dogmatic. None are based upon a leap of faith. None involve putting on blinders and not seeing all the difficulties, complexities, subtleties, and nuances of actual reality and life.
The
philosophy of Common Sense Realism is based upon, and derived from,
simple, direct, basic reason, or unambiguous, fundamental logic, or
beginning, clear, foundational science. CSR is founded upon
self-evidence or self-proving propositions, facts, and truths; upon
simple, clear, clean, direct, obvious, undoubtable axioms. To deny or
doubt axioms requires immense imagination, delusion, irrationality,
and faith. To ask for evidence or proof of axioms is illegitimate,
improper, unreasonable, and absurd. The asker isn’t fit for
philosophical inquiry or speculation. It isn't necessary -- or even possible -- to stand outside the universe in order to demonstrate something inside it.
If
some philosophical claim “flies in the face of all reason” or
“denies all common sense” or seems foolish, dumb, irrational,
nonsensical, bizarre, or absurd, it must not be accepted as true, or
even decently possible, without considerably powerful and persuasive
reason, logic, facts, and evidence to back it up. These rarely or
never exist.
If
some philosophical claim, proposition, or premise asks you to abandon
all reason, or suspend all normal judgment, or be intellectually
dishonest, evasive, cowardly, and corrupt, then almost certainly this
statement is untrue, and even unworthy of consideration. And
certainly no claim should be accepted – or even much entertained –
based upon mere authority, revelation, or faith – which are all
about the same.
Fundamental
and foundational truths exist. Initial, known, irrefragable, facts
exist. Just as you “can’t prove a negative” so you “can’t
prove an axiom”. Nor can you truly doubt one. It’s illegitimate,
improper, unphilosophical, unscientific, irrational, and illogical to
try. Self-evident truths and axioms are based upon overwhelming and
ubiquitous external and internal evidence.