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{{short description|Idea by philosopher Daniel Dennett about what makes patterns "real"}}'''Real Patterns''' is a philosophical concept introduced by [[Daniel Dennett]] in his 1991 paper of the same name.<ref name="Dennett 1991">Dennett, Daniel C. "Real Patterns". ''The Journal of Philosophy'', vol. 88, no. 1, 1991, pp. 27–51.</ref> The idea aims to reconcile [[Philosophical realism|realism]] with [[eliminative materialism]] by arguing that patterns in data can be considered real entities if they are useful in making predictions.

== Key concepts ==

=== Predictive utility ===
The core of the idea is that a pattern is real if it has predictive utility. In other words, if recognizing a pattern allows for better predictions, then the pattern is real in a functional sense.<ref name="Dennett 1991" />

=== Compression ===
Dennett also discusses the concept of [[data compression]] as a measure of the reality of a pattern. A pattern is more real if it allows for a more efficient encoding of information.

=== Levels of abstraction ===
Real Patterns can exist at multiple levels of abstraction, from [[quantum mechanics]] to [[social sciences]]. Dennett argues that the reality of a pattern is not confined to its lowest level of explanation.

=== Criticisms ===
The concept has been subject to various criticisms, including its vagueness and the potential for [[circular reasoning]].

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://ruccs.rutgers.edu/images/personal-zenon-pylyshyn/class-info/FP2012/FP2012_readings/Dennett_RealPatterns.pdf Original paper]
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