A belief in determinism Realists are more commonly on the side of necessity than on that of freedom. There is a strong respect for the orderliness, accuracy and objectivity of science. No single event happens by chance. While some view the world as a giant machine, for some it is not coldly mechanical. Choosing and willing are facts of our experience.
Volitional impulses are causes of subsequent events, however.
The realist's conception of the mind Mental life is always rooted and grounded in bodily existence. The mind is almost spiritual in essence if not actually so. The universe is a cosmos of a kind, orderly to the extent that order is possible within a plurality. The realist describes the world as a naturalist world. Some realists are atheistic.