QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

…molding minds, shaping future

INFORMATION SHEET NO.

Week No. Date:
ADVANCED PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
1 May 22, 2021
Topic Title
Idealism and Education
Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, the learner can:
1. define idealism and discuss its proponents; and
2. identify and explain the relevance and implication of idealism in education.
Keywords or Concepts
1. Ideas and ideals
2. Mind and spirit or soul
3. Socratic Method
4. Platonic Idealism, Religious Idealism, & Modern Idealism
5. Dialectic
Suggested/Assigned Reading/s
The Republic
Source: Plato, The Republic, translated by B. Jowett. New York: Dolphin Books, 1960, pp. 205-208.
Cited:

Education
Source: Immanuel Kant, Education, translated by Annette Charton, Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press, 1960, pp. 83-94. Cited:

Contents
Proponent of idealism
No two philosophers ever agree on every point. Idealism as a complex and oldest
philosophy was a product of great thinker in the oldest time. Dating back to the east and to
the west at least to Socrates and Plato.

 Platonic Idealism – describes the existence of perfect realm of form and ideas and
our world merely contains shadows of that realm; only ideas can be known or have
any reality.
Plato (427-347 BCE)
 Plato believed that the realm of ideas as the absolute reality.
 Two of his famous books includes The Republic, & Laws.
 He used dialectic method, whereas he believed that all thinking begins with a
thesis.
 His main doctrine states that object of our thoughts constitute the ultimate and
eternal reality. He argues that the real world is the same as the world of ideas,
which later had a great impact to the development of western religion.
 Platonic idealism believed to the existence of perfect realm of form and ideas and
our world merely contains shadows of that realm.
 Plato’s idealism suggested moving from opinion to true knowledge in the form of
critical discussions, or the dialectic.
 Knowledge is a process of discovery that can be attained through skillful
questioning.
 He believed that individual differences exist and that outstanding people should
be rewarded for their knowledge.
 He believed that the ruler would be a good person with so much wisdom because
it was only ignorance that led to evil.

 Religious Idealism – argues that all knowledge originates in perceived phenomena

which have been organized by categories.
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE)
 He believed that the sense were unreliable and that belief in God rests ultimately
on faith.
 He interpreted that the soul is blackened by Adam’s fall from grace, which results
in the human doubt and uncertainty.
 He believed, like Plato, that people do not create knowledge and that God already
has created it, and people can discover it through trying to find God.
 Augustine believed that we should look within our souls for the true knowledge
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that exists there. He thus promoted an intuitive approach to education.

 He believed that the kind of knowledge to be accepted on faith should be
determined by the church.
 Augustine was the greatest of the Christian Platonists, and his stress on the role
of the learner’s spontaneous and God-directed intelligence had great implications
for Christian education for many centuries.

 Modern Idealism – all objects are identical with some idea and ideal knowledge is
itself the system of ideas.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
 Born in La Haze, France.
 His two famous books Discourse on Method & Meditations on First Philosophy.
 His book Discourse on Method discuss about the methodical doubt. This includes
his search for indubitable ideas.
 He thought that if he could discover a clear and distinct ideas that would have
him build a solid foundations of true ideas.
 But what he found out was that, he doubt that he was doubting but did not
doubt that he is thinking. Which we known today as Cogito, ergo sum (I think,
therefore I am).
 The Cogito supports the tradition of Idealism because it reaffirms the centrality of
mind in relationship of the human being with the world.
 Lastly, he encountered the necessity of one idea referring to another. Thus, finite
mind contemplates the ultimate reality of ideas.
George Berkeley (1685-1753)
 Born and educated in Ireland.
 He wrote Principles of Human Knowledge.
 He believed that all existence depends on some mind to know it; if no mind exist,
then for all intents and purposes nothing exist unless it is perceived by the mind
of God.
 He thought that there is no existence without perception, but things might exist
in the sense that they are perceived by a Supreme Being. Thus, things existence
means that it is perceived by some mind.
 Esse est percipi which means to be is to be perceived.
 Berkeley was a champion of ideal realities and values whose main purpose is to
make evident the existence of God and to prove that God is the true cause of all
things.
David Hume (1711-1776)
 He is the greatest antagonist of Berkeley’s ideas. His book Treatise upon Human
Nature is the strongest attacks of idealism ever written.
 He believed that if all you know are your own impressions and ideas, then you
have no genuine basis for asserting the reality of either material or spiritual
substance.
 Berkeley thought that he had destroyed atheism and materialism, so Hume
believed that he also had destroyed the concept of mind and God. Hume
recognized that his theories resulted in a kind of skepticism that affected religion
and science, but he was unable to reconcile the paradox of a seemingly sensible
world with the logic of human thought.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
 Born and educated in Königsberg.
 He worked a system based on a posteriori (synthetic) and a priori (Analytic) logical
judgement in order to compliment Science and Philosophy to achieved a new
system that could have valid knowledge of human experience established on the
scientific laws of nature as well as achieve philosophical clarity.
 Two of his famous writings include Critique of Pure Reason and Critique of
Practical Reason.
 In his Critique of Pure Reason he concluded that it is impossible to make
absolutely universal and necessary judgements about human experience purely
on rational and scientific grounds. On the other hand, Critique of Practical
Reason, he thought that universal judgements could and should be made.
 Kant philosophical beliefs focuses on Character Development in Education.
 His moral/practical philosophy which he called “Categorical Imperatives.”
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 “Act always so that you can will the maxim or the determining principle of your
action to become a universal Law.”
 “The greatest and most difficult problem to which man can devote himself is the
problem of education.”
 He thought that education should consist of discipline, culture, discretion, and
moral trainings.
 Lastly, he believed that the essence of education should not be simply training;
the important thing was enlightenment, or teaching a child to think according to
principles as opposed to mere random behaviour.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)
 Born in Stuttgart, Germany.
 He graduated Theology at University of Tübingen in 1793.
 Hegel’s thought become the capstone of idealistic philosophy in the modern era.
 Three major aspect of Hegel’s system: Logic, Nature, & Spirit. Three of his famous
books includes Phenomenology of Mind, Logic, & Philosophy of Rights.
 He thinks that thought is continuum is not as a series of mechanical synthetic
unions. This was characterized by a moving, constant “synthesizing” – a moving,
growing, and ever-changing thought process.
 Hegel’s philosophy is characterize by his logic; that best describe as dialectic.
 He believe that nature is the “otherness” of idea. Moreover, Hegel’s logical system
is similar to Plato’s notion of unchanging ideas, however, he is sensitive to
change; wherein it includes change, development, & movement.
 Lastly, Hegel’s thought that it was possible for at least some individuals to
everything essential in the history of humanity; that is collective consciousness.
Josiah Royce (1855-1916)
 One of the most influential American exponents of Hegelian Idealism at the
beginning of 20th century.
 He believed that the external meaning of things depends entirely on its internal
meaning – and that is embodiment of purpose whereby it served as a criterion of
mentality.
 He also believed that ideas are essentially purposes or plans of action and that
the fulfillment of ideas is found when they are put into actions.
 He also believed that one of the most important things for a person to develop is
a sense of loyalty to moral principles and causes.

Meaning of idealism

Idealism was tagged as the oldest known philosophy to mankind. The word idealism
originally derived from “ideas” and “ideals”. Idealism point out the importance of the
human spirit. It stresses the greatest importance of mind, soul or spirit, thus, idealist
central belief emphasizes the “human spirit” as the most fundamental constituent in
person’s life. It embraces that ideas are the solitary correct and proper truth or the only
true reality. It also focuses on reasoning and how human beings bring knowledge up from
within.

In education, Idealism views learning as just recollection, meaning, people collect what
would prove their souls had existed before somewhere before entering the human shape –
stating the soul is immortal and everlasting. Idealist believed that knowledge is
remembering and not discovering something new. In addition, the true knowledge does not
reveal from experiences nor reality is not based on experiences but rather found in the
world of ideas. Whereas, dialogue was an essential source of knowledge and reasons.
Idealist uses rational inquiry as a priceless tool that allowed one to test opinions, weigh the
merit of ideas and alter beliefs on the basis of knowledge and affirmed that the acquisition
of knowledge was a creative act.

In short, the main tenet of idealism is that ideas and knowledge are the truest reality.
Many things in the world change, but ideas and knowledge are enduring. Idealism was
often referred to as idea-ism. Idealists believe that ideas can change lives. The most
important part of a person is the mind. It is to be nourished and developed.

Relevance of idealism to education

 Development and application of practical knowledge and skills for life in a
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progressive democratic society.

 Individual growth through processes, experience and problem solving.
 Sharing of ideas.
 Involvement of students through their own ideas.
 Refinement of student ideas by the teacher.
 Emphasizes on character development.

Strategies of education used in idealism

 Holistic nature was uphold as educational method of Idealism in which self-
realization and character growth is vigorously supported wherein growth of moral
character, personal reflection and wisdom is gained.
 Lecture method is considered the most important one in which a delivers lecture and
students listen to the teacher (teacher-centered approach).
 Socratic Method in which the teacher involves the students in learning activities
(student-centered approach).

Educational implications of idealism

 Idealistic Education aims is the preservation, enrichment and transmission of
culture.
 The aim of education is to discover and develop each individual’s abilities and full
moral excellence in order to better serve society.
 Education must contribute to the development of over-all culture.
 Helps a person to become much more rational.
 Idealism in education means to develop a good relation between students and
teacher.
Class Activity
1. Say something about me!
 Mind over matter.
 “When things become bigger, it must have been smaller before it became bigger, and if
it becomes smaller, it must be bigger first and became smaller afterwards” – Plato’s
Phaedo, 70C-72E
 To be is to be perceived.
 “The greatest and most difficult problem to which man can devote himself is the
problem of education.”
Guide Questions
1. Choose one of the phrases above (Say something about me!) and discuss your own
interpretations about its relationship to education using a simple illustration (can be digital
picture, image, or your own creations) with a brief description.
2. Is the idea or philosophical belief of Idealism still applied today? Cite example/s that you
already used.
Assessment and Evaluation
Answer the following questions by providing the correct answer.
1. Idealism centered on the belief that _________ is the only true reality.
2. According to idealist, ___________ is the most important part of a person.
3. He transcribed Socrates’ ideas into writings and known as the father of Idealism.
4. He is the proponent of Cogito, ergo sum.
5. He has philosophical beliefs that focused on Character Development in Education.
6. He is tagged as the greatest Christian Platonist.
7. ____________ is a form of Idealism that discusses the existence of perfect realm of form and
ideas.
8. List the three major aspect of Hegelian’s System.
References
1. Ozmon, H.A. (2012). Philosophical Foundations of Education (9th Ed). New Jersey, Upper
Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
2. Momany, M.A., & Khasawneh, O. (2014). The implications of Idealism as an educational
philosophy in Jordan as perceived by elementary teachers. European Journal of Educational
Science, 1(2), 319-333.
3. Aliman, A., & Nabua, E. (2020). Idealism and its implication to education. ResearchGate.
4. https://ejes.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1-2-24.pdf
5. https://www.academia.edu/23161567/PHILOSOPHICAL_INFLUENCE_OF_IDEALISM_IN_EDU
CATION
6. https://kheru2006.webs.com/4idealism_realism_and_pragmatism_in_education.pdf
7. https://link.springer.com/pdf
8. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf
Prepared and Summarized by:
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
…molding minds, shaping future

MICHAEL C. BAGAY
MAT-BioSci 1 Student
myksci.ph@gmail.com

MICHAEL A. MAYOYA
MAT-BioSci 1 Student
michael.mayoya@qsu.edu.ph
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
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Week No. Date:

ANSWER KEY
1
Topic Title
Idealism and Education
NAME:
COURSE and YEAR:
Class Activity
2. Say something about me!
 Mind over matter.
 “When things become bigger, it must have been smaller before it became bigger, and if
it becomes smaller, it must be bigger first and became smaller afterwards” – Plato’s
Phaedo, 70C-72E
 To be is to be perceived.
 “The greatest and most difficult problem to which man can devote himself is the
problem of education.”
Guide Questions
1. Choose one of the phrases above (Say something about me!) and discuss your own
interpretations about its relationship to education using a simple illustration (can be digital
picture, image, or your own creations) with a brief description.
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
…molding minds, shaping future

2. Is the idea or philosophical belief of Idealism still applied today? Cite example/s that you
already used.
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Assessment and Evaluation

Answer the following questions by providing the correct answer.

1. _________________________

2. _________________________

3. _________________________

4. _________________________

5. _________________________

6. _________________________

7. _________________________

8. _________________________