AIM Framework glossary
Representational Realism
Canonical definition
Representational Realism is the philosophical commitment that theoretical constructs, including unobserved or latent variables such as AIM Weights (wA, wI, wM), Source Opacity, and the Mimetic Premium (PM), refer to real features of the world that exist independently of whether they are currently observed or measured, such that the constructs' validity depends on their capacity to generate accurate, falsifiable predictions about observable phenomena rather than on direct observation of the constructs themselves.
Explanation
Many of AIM's core constructs are not directly visible, you cannot open a skull and see Source Opacity, nor can you read AIM Weights off a brain scan in real time. Representational Realism says this is fine, so long as the constructs generate predictions that can be tested against things we can observe: choice behaviour, price patterns, crisis trajectories, fMRI activation differences under experimental manipulation. The position is standard in mature sciences, electrons, gravitational fields, and inflation expectations are all theoretical constructs validated by their predictive success rather than direct observation. AIM adopts Representational Realism to make clear that "we can't directly see wM" is not an objection to the framework any more than "we can't directly see an electron" is an objection to quantum mechanics. What matters is whether the construct, when plugged into the theory, produces predictions that survive testing. See AIM Weights (wA, wI, wM), Mimetic Premium (PM), Source Opacity. Metatheoretical Commitment.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct.
Derivation
Related terms
- AIM Weights (wA
- wI
- wM)
- Mimetic Premium (PM)
- Source Opacity