IDEALISM

DEFINITIONS:

Idealism is a term in philosophy that refers to the rejection of the physical reality.

Instead, the proponents of idealism suggest that everything in the universe is either constructed

by the human man or that it is without material substance. To make the meaning of idealism

more clear, we discuss some definitions with refer to well-known scholars of the time.

“Idealism holds ultimate reality is spiritualism.”

-D.M.Dutta-

“Realistic philosophy takes many and varied forms but the postulates underlying all this

is that mind and spirit is essential world stuff; that the true reality is the mental character.”

-J.S.Ross-

“Idealist point out that it is mind that is central in understanding the world. To them

nothing gives the greater sense of reality then the activity of mind that engaged in trying to

comprehend its world. For any thing to give a greater sense of reality would be a contradiction in

terms because to know anything more real than mind would itself be a conception of mind.”

-Brubacher-

HISTORY:
 Idealism is one of the oldest traditional philosophies begins with Plato who taught his

philosophy in ancient Greek city state of Athens. Plato is the father of idealism, “he believed

that, soul fully fanned prior to birth and is perfect and once with the universal being.”

In 19th century Germany W.F Hegel a university professor lectured to his student about

an unfolding view of history and a total world view based on ideal metaphysics. He believed

that, “as individuals, our minds attuned to or related to the divine mind called Absolute Mind of

the creator.”

In the United States Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David developed an American

variant of idealism called transcendentalism, that emphasis the spirit self-reliant individualism.

GROWTH OF IDEALISM :

Idealism is an old philosophy. Its inception is taken from the very times when a man

begins to thing. In the west, it was born out of writing an oration of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and

other philosophers. In india it was born out of holly script Vedas , Purans and Upanishads. Since

than it is developing in all countries of world in small or greater measure.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF IDEALISM:

There are following fundamental principles of idealism

1) Two forms of the whole world

2) Ideas are more important than objects

3) Importance of man over nature

4) Faith in spiritual values

5) Importance of personality development

6) Full support of principles of unity in diversity

1) Two forms of the whole world:

Idealism believes in two forms of the world

a) Spiritual world

b) Material world

Idealist gives more importance to the spiritual world in comparison to the material

world. They believe that spiritual world is real and ultimate truth where as the material

world is transitory and mortal.

“Idealism holds the order of worldis due to the manifestation in space and time of

an eternal and spirituality.”

-Home-

2) Ideas are more important than objects:

According to idealist knowledge of mind and should be obtained through ideas only.

Hence they have given more importance to ideas than material things. They think ideas

are the ultimate reality while materials die whether sooner or later.

“Ideas are of the ultimate cosmic significance. They are rather the essence or

archetype that give forms to cosmos. These ideas are eternal and unchanging.”

-Plato-

3) Importance of man over nature:

To idealist man is more important than material nature. This is because man can think

and experience about things, material objects and material phenomenon. The thinker or
 one who experienced is more important than object or the phenomena experienced. Man

is endowed with intelligence and sense of discrimination.

“The spiritual or cultural environment of man’s own making, it is a product of

man’s creative activity.”

-R.R.Rusk-

4) Faith in spiritual values:

According to idealist the prime aim of life is to achieve spiritual values. They are Truth,

Beauty and Goodness. These spiritual values are undying and permanent. The

realization of these values is the realization of God. For the achievement of these

spiritual values all the capacities of man are to be harnessed to the full. These capacities

are knowing , filling and willing.

“Goodness, truth and beauty are seen to be absolute each existing in its own rights

and entirely desirable in itself.”

-J.S Ross-

5) Importance of personality development:

Idealist gives much importance to the self-individual. Hence they insist upon the fullest

development of the personality of an individual. According to them the development of

the personality means achievement of perfection. Plato rightly speaks that each

individual has an ideal self. In short idealism believes in the welfare of whole human

community.

“Thus the Grandeur and worth of human life at its best are emphasis the idealism.

Human personality is of supreme value and constitutes the noblest work of the God.”

-J.S Ross-
 6) Full support of principles of unity in diversity:

Idealist gives full support to principle of unity in diversity. They believe that implicit in

all the diversity is an essential unity. This implicit unifying factor is of spiritual nature.

This may be called universal consciousness or divinity.

“An idealistic philosophy of education , than , is an account of man finding

himself as an integral part of universe mind.”

-H.N Home-

IDEALISM IN EDUCATION:

The credit of introducing idealism in education goes to the Plato, Pestallozzi and Froebel

who are world renounced educators. According to them, idealism pervades all the creations and

it is an undying, unlimited and ultimate force which reigns the supreme over all minds and

matters. They all advocates its great importance in education and lay more emphasis on aims and

principles of education than on methods, aids and devices.

IDEALISM AND AIMS OF EDUCATION:

Regarding Aims of Education Idealists generally agree that education should not only

stress development of the mind but also encourage students to focus on all things of lasting

value. Along with Plato, they believe that the aim of education should be directed toward the

search for true ideas. Another important idealist aim is character development because the search

for truth demands personal discipline and steadfast character. This aim is prevalent in the

writings of Kant, Harris, Horne, Gentile, and others. What they want in society is not just the

literate, knowledgeable person, but the good person as well. Idealists always have stressed the

importance of mind over matter. The important thing for the idealist is to arrive at truth, and
truth cannot be ever-shifting. Some idealists, although not adhering strictly to the Platonic idea

that “Truth is eternal and perfect, do believe that truth is substantial and relatively permanent.” It

is necessary for the individual to have a strong sense of loyalty to the state. Proper character

education would thus develop the attribute of loyalty because an individual without loyalty

would be incomplete. When the teacher acts according to the interests of the state or society, the

true interests of the student are being met. By the same token, a student’s proper role is to abide

by the authority of the teacher.

The following are the aims of education according to the philosophy of education.

1. Self-realization or Exhalation of Personality

2. To ensure Spiritual Development

3. To cultivate Truth, Beauty and Goodness

4. Conservation, Promotion and Transmission of cultural Heritage

5. Conversion of Inborn Nature into Spiritual Nature

6. Preparation of Holy Life

7. Development of Intelligence and Rationality

1. Self-realization or Exhalation of Personality

According to idealism man is more beautiful creation of the GOD. Hence, the advocates

of idealism lay great stress on the exaltation of the human personality. By exaltation they

mean the self-realization. Self-realization involves the full knowledge of self. Hence, first

aim of the education according to the idealism is to develop the self of the individual

higher and higher till the self-realization is achieved.

 “The aims of education specially associated with idealism is the exhalation of

personality, or self-realization, the making actual or real the highest potentialities of the

self.”

-J.S. Ross-

2. To ensure Spiritual Development

Idealists give more importance to the spiritual values in comparison with material

attainments. Thus, according to them, the second aim of education is to develop the child

mentality, morality and above all spiritually. Thus, the teacher should so organizer as to

develop the child spiritually.

“Education must enable mankind through its culture to enter more and more fully

into the spiritual realm and also enlarge the boundaries of the spiritual realm.”

-RUSK-

3. To cultivate Truth, Beauty and Goodness

Idealists assert that to develop the spiritual values in the individual, pursuit of

highest ideals namely-Truth, Beauty and Goodness should be encouraged more and more.

The more an individual realize, the more spiritual, he will, become.

4. Conservation, Promotion and Transmission of Cultural Heritage

Man is only endowed with the keen and penetrating intellect, intelligence and an

enormous capacity of assimilating the knowledge of the world. His mental, and

intellectual capacities develop cultural, social and artistic values in human life in all its

aspects. Thus, the fourth aim of the education according to idealism is to acquaint the

with cultural heritage so that he conserves, promotes the transmits it to the rising

generation.
5. Conversion of Inborn Nature into Spiritual Nature

Idealist holds the view that the inborn instincts and inherent tendencies of the

child should be sublimsted into the spiritual qualities and values. This is the real

development of the individuality. Hence, the fifth aim of education according to idealism

is to sublimate the inborn raw instincts of the child into spiritual qualities.

6. Preparation of Holy Life

Idealists upload that education should create such condition and provide an

environment which are conducive to the development of the spiritual values in the child.

A holy life full of piety and good ideals will lead naturally towards spiritual development

and self-realization. Hence, the sixth aim of education according to idealistic philosophy

is to prepare a child for a holy life.

“The object of education is the realization of a faithful, pure, inviolable and hence holy

life.” -Froebel-

7. Development of Intelligence and Rationality

Adams has defined the education from the point of view of an idealist. According

to him there is a purpose in all objects and natural phenomena. Man can understand the

purpose as well as the plan and organizatio n. There are sets principles working in this

creation. According to the adam’s the seventh aim of the education is to develop the

intelligence and rationality of the child. Out of these principles the idealists lay great

importance on the principles of unity in diversity.

“In all things there reigns an eternal law this all-pervading energetic, self-

conscious and hence eternal unity. This unity is GOD. Education should lead and guide

man to face with nature and unity and GOD.”

 FROEBEL from-Education of Man-

PROCESS OF EDUCATION:

STUDENT:

 The student is hard working and obedient.

 The school suggests perencialist should bring learners to know these truths. Whether the

learner see as relevant the academic content necessary to reveal these truth is an

unimportant consideration.

 Student tries to make himself clear in the theoretical aspect through discussion and debate

with the teachers.

 The schools are changed with preparing young people for life.

TEACHERS:

 The teacher decides what is to be taught, at what time and through what method.

 Learners are expected to ingest the content presented to them by teachers and ask few

question. Teachers are perceived to be bears of the wisdom of the countries.

 The teachers accordingly must be one who has mastered the discipline, who is the master

teacher in terms of guiding, discussion which will enables the student to deduce the

proper truth and whose character is beyond reproach.

 The teacher are to be viewed as an authority in the field whose knowledge and expertise

are not to be questioned.

CURRICULUM:
  School curricula should be the same for all youngsters. critically important are those

subjects that most clearly reveal long standing truth about the human condition.

 Idealism is more important attracted to be especially useful in illuminating critically

important insights.

 The curriculum of the idealism education would be subject centred and would draw

heavily upon the discipline of literature, mathematics, languages, and the humanities,

including history.

 It would be what is commonly termed a ‘liberal education.’

BRANCHES:

There are Three Major Branches of Philosophy

i. Metaphysics - the nature of reality

ii. Axiology - the nature of values

iii. Epistemology - the nature of knowledge

Metaphysics of Idealism

Idealists believed that spiritual nonmaterial world is ultimately real, envision the universe

as an expression of a highly generalized intelligence and will-a universal mind. They understand

the person’s spiritual essence, or soul as the permanent element of the human nature that gives

individual the power to think and feel. The self is the primary reality of individual experience.

The Ultimate reality is self. Ultimate reality may be one or many more. The individual self has

all the freedom. Idealists use two concepts.

 Macrocosm
  Microcosm

Macrocosm refers to the universal mind, the first cause, creator, or GOD. Regardless of

what it is called, the macrocosm mind is the whole existence.

Microcosm , the personal mind or spirit, is a limited and lesser self but nevertheless

spiritual and intellectual like a great being of which it is a part.

Axiology of Idealism

They believe that truth, goodness and beauty exist in the universal and eternal order.

Idealists prescribe values that are unchanging and applicable to all people everywhere. Some

subjects like history, literature, theory and art are rich source of transmitting values because they

provide the contents through which students can encounter worthy models, especially in the

classics-the great works that have endured over time. Values are real existents. Evil is not real

existent. The values of human life are what they are largely because there are individual persons

to possess and enjoy them. The individual person can realize value by actively relating parts and

wholes.

Epistemology of Idealism

Idealists epistemology emphasizes the recognition or reminiscence of a priori ideas that

are already lodged deep in our mind and are there before we are conscious of them. The ultimate

knowledge is the knowledge on spirituality. Idealism and critical realism are like in their

treatment of perception to some extent. Some idealists support direct experience of the self.

Surrounding world is important to experience the self. Reality to be a logically unified total

system, a Universal mind

IDEALISM AS A PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION:

In general, idealists have shown a great concern for education, and many have written

extensively about it. Plato made education the core of his utopian state in The Republic, and

Augustine also gave extensive attention to the need for Christians to become aware of the

importance of education. Kant and Hegel wrote about education or referred to it a great deal in

their writings, and both made their living as teachers. More recent idealists such as A. Bronson

Alcott, William Torrey Harris, Herman Horne, William Hocking, Giovanni Gentile, and J.

Donald Butler have tried systematically to apply idealist principles to the theory and practice of

education. Perhaps one of the most notable idealist educators in the nineteenth century was

Bronson Alcott. An American transcendentalist whose ideas were a mixture of the philosophies

of Plato, Plotinus, Kant, Hegel, Carlyle, and Emerson, he frequently contributed writings to the

transcendentalist periodical The Dial.

RELIGIOUS IDEALISM:

Idealism has exerted considerable influence on religion. For example, Judaism and

Christianity include many beliefs that fit into idealist thinking. In Judaism and Christianity, the

idea of one God as pure Spirit and the Universal Good can be readily recognized as compatible

with this philosophy. When Alexander the Great spread Greek culture around the

Mediterranean world, there was also a proliferation of Greek schools, which contributed to the

spread of Greek (Hellenistic) philosophical ideas, including idealism. Many writers of the New

Testament were also influenced by Greek culture and philosophy and incorporated ideas of these

into their own thinking. Paul, who wrote a considerable portion of the New Testament, was born

Saul of Tarsus when Tarsus was a city heavily influenced by Hellenistic culture and thought; one

can find a great deal of idealism in Paul’s writings, stemming from both Jewish and Greek
traditions. Likewise, Muhammad and Islamic thought also reflect Greek ideas with idealistic

implications.