Kantian Roots
Transcendental realism arguably has its roots in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and refers to a form of transcendentalism that permits the subject to be fully cognizant of all limitations of their mind, and adjust their cognition accordingly as one seeks to understand the noumenon (or the world as it actually exists—things-in-themselves). In this way, the subject is able to know the world of things-in-themselves, and, presumably, is able to scientifically test such noumena.
It is important to note that Kant was himself not a transcendental realist, but rather a transcendental idealist. That is to say, he did not believe one could ever understand the noumenal realm.
Read more about this topic: Transcendental Realism
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