verkligheten

Verkligheten is a Swedish term for the state of things as they actually exist, independent of perception, belief, or imagination. It is used across philosophy, science, media, and everyday language to refer to what is true or factual, as opposed to what is merely imagined, dreamed, or constructed.

Etymology and usage: The word derives from the adjective verklig, real or actual, and the noun verklighet, reality or actuality. In ordinary use, verkligheten denotes observable facts and phenomena, while phrases like “verkligheten bakom” point to underlying events or causes that are supposed to be true beyond appearances.

Philosophical significance: The concept is central to debates about truth, knowledge, and reality. Realist positions hold that there is a mind-independent reality that theories aim to describe, while idealist or constructivist approaches stress how perception, language, or social practices shape what we count as real. The correspondence theory of truth links truth to a suitable relation between statements and the state of reality, whereas other theories emphasize coherence or pragmatic success.

Science and inquiry: In science, verkligheten is approached through observation, experiment, and modeling. The aim is to describe and explain aspects of the real world, while models are understood as useful representations rather than literal equivalents of reality. Scientific realism vs instrumentalism reflects different renderings of how closely theories track verkligheten.

In culture and media: Verkligheten is often contrasted with fiction, rumor, or speculation. Journalistic and scholarly work seeks to report or interpret verkligheten with evidence, while public discourse may debate what the facts actually show and how they should be understood.