The paper discusses the recent literature on abstraction/idealization in connection with
the \paradox of infinite idealization." We use the case of taking thermodynamics limit
in dealing with the phenomena of phase transition and critical phenomena to broach
the subject. We then argue that the method of infinite idealization is widely used
in the practice of science, and not all uses of the method are the same (or evoke the
same philosophical problems). We then confront the compatibility problem of infinite
idealization with scientific realism. We propose and defend a contextualist position
for (local) realism and argue that the cases for infinite idealization appear to be fully
compatible with contextual realism
