Abstract

This article examines the metaphysical foundations of scientific realism in a historical-philosophical context, analyzing the similarities and differences between classical and contemporary approaches. Within the framework of scientific realism, the relationship between scientific knowledge and reality, as well as its ontological and epistemological premises, is explored. By analyzing the views of thinkers who influenced the formation of classical scientific realism, the author compares them with the new scientific paradigms and post-positivist perspectives that emerged in the twentieth century. The article defines the role and boundaries of scientific realism in modern research and substantiates the relevance of metaphysical issues. The study analyzes the views of Descartes, Newton, and Kant–thinkers who laid the foundations of classical scientific realism–and reveals their understanding of reality, causality, and objectivity. Furthermore, it examines the directions of contemporary scientific realism of the 20th–21st centuries, including structural realism, pragmatic realism, and empirical metaphysics. The purpose of the article is to provide a metaphysical assessment of the relationship between scientific knowledge and reality, and to identify the main positions in the debate between realism and anti-realism. The study concludes that the metaphysical presuppositions of scientific realism serve as an ontological foundation ensuring the stability of scientific cognition.

Keywords: scientific realism, metaphysics, classical philosophy, modern philosophy, reality