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It is worth saying at this point that many philosophers are not content with saying merely what reality ''is not''.  Some of them have positive theories of what broad categories of objects are real, in addition.  See ''[[ontology]]'' as well as ''philosophical realism''; these topics are also briefly treated below.

It is worth saying at this point that many philosophers are not content with saying merely what reality ''is not''.  Some of them have positive theories of what broad categories of objects are real, in addition.  See ''[[ontology]]'' as well as ''philosophical realism''; these topics are also briefly treated below.

In ethics, [[Political science|political theory]], and the [[The Arts|arts]], reality is often contrasted with what is "[[ideal]]."

In ethics, [[Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought|political theory]], and the [[The Arts|arts]], reality is often contrasted with what is "[[ideal]]."

One of the fundamental issues in ethics is called the ''is-ought problem'', and it can be formulated as follows: "Given our knowledge of the way the world 'is,' how can we know the way the world 'ought to be'?" Most ethical views hold that the world we live in (the ''real'' world) is ''not ideal''; and, as such, there is room for improvement.

One of the fundamental issues in ethics is called the ''is-ought problem'', and it can be formulated as follows: "Given our knowledge of the way the world 'is,' how can we know the way the world 'ought to be'?" Most ethical views hold that the world we live in (the ''real'' world) is ''not ideal''; and, as such, there is room for improvement.