--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But although realism does not add…" description: "\"“But although realism does not add anything to the catalogue of entities or properties that a subjectivist believes to exist in the world, it does hold..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/thomas-nagel-9440_fault-lines_but-although-realism-does-not-add-anythi_2481953.jpg" --- # But although realism does not add anything to the… ![“But although realism does not add anything to the catalogue of entities or properties that a subjectivist believes to exist in the world, it does hold that certain truths that subjectivists think have to be grounded in something else do not have to be so grounded, but are just true in their own…” quote by Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/thomas-nagel-9440_fault-lines_but-although-realism-does-not-add-anythi_2481953.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/thomas-nagel-9440_fault-lines_but-although-realism-does-not-add-anythi_2481953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/thomas-nagel-9440_fault-lines_but-although-realism-does-not-add-anythi_2481953.jpg) > ““But although realism does not add anything to the catalogue of entities or properties that a subjectivist believes to exist in the world, it does hold that certain truths that subjectivists think have to be grounded in something else do not have to be so grounded, but are just true in their own right. After all, whatever one's philosophical views, so long as there is such a thing as truth there must be some truths that don't have to be grounded in anything else. Disagreement over which truths these are defines some of the deepest fault lines of philosophy. To philosophers of an idealist persuasion it is self-evident that physical facts can't just be true in themselves, but must be explained in terms of actual or possible experience, just as it is self-evident to those of a materialist persuasion that mental facts can't just be true in themselves, but must be explained in terms of actual or possible behavior, functional organization, or physiology. The issue over moral realism is of the same kind.”” [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realism claims some truths exist independently of grounding, contrasting with subjectivist demands for justification. **In simple terms:** Some truths stand alone without needing justification. Key Takeaway Identify which truths are self‑evident. Themes philosophy truth realism subjectivism ontology Mood critical thought‑provoking Type theoretical ethical When to use this quote - ethical debates - theoretical research - academic curricula - public policy Key Concepts grounding metaphysics epistemology Questions to Reflect On - Which truths do we accept without proof? - How does this affect moral reasoning? A Different Perspective Grounding may be necessary for practical applications. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fault-lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fault-lines-62153/) [Idealist Persuasion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealist-persuasion-873940/) [Metaphysics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysics/) [Moral Realism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-realism-573464/) [Properties Subjectivist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/properties-subjectivist-873939/) [Subjectivist Believes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjectivist-believes-873937/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truths Subjectivists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truths-subjectivists-873938/) ## Related quotes > [Some philosophical arguments (e.g., in connection with the mind/body problem) look pretty good, while others (e.g., those that criticize moral realism) do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-sober/some-philosophical-arguments-e-g-in-connection-with-the-mind-body/) [Elliott Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-sober/) > [I am now a decided non-naturalist realist. 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