reality

Reality refers to the state of things as they actually are, independent of beliefs or interpretations. It encompasses physical phenomena, mental states, and social constructs, and is often distinguished from appearances, illusions, or beliefs about those phenomena.

In philosophy, realism posits a mind-independent reality that exists whether or not it is perceived. Opposing positions include idealism, which posits that reality is in some sense dependent on minds, and anti-realism, which questions the possibility of objective knowledge of a reality beyond our concepts. Some schools emphasize that what counts as reality may depend on conceptual frameworks or language (constructivism or social constructivism).

Science generally treats reality as that which is described by the natural world and its laws; scientific realism holds that unobservable entities posited by theories (e.g., electrons) exist independently and that theories aim to approximate truth. Instrumentalism, by contrast, regards theories as useful tools without committing to the reality of unobservables. Perception and epistemology examine how conscious experience represents reality, recognizing perceptual limits, illusions, and the role of interpretation in constructing knowledge.

Beyond the physical and mental, reality includes social constructs such as money, institutions, and norms that arise from collective agreement. These social realities influence behavior and are subject to change through collective action and language. The nature of reality remains a central topic across science, philosophy, and everyday life, with ongoing debates about what is ultimately real and how we can know it.