4. Definition
Idealism is a term with several related meanings. It
comes directly from the Greek "idealismos" which derives
from the word (idea).
The term entered the English language by 1796. In
ordinary use, as when speaking of Woodrow Wilsons
political idealism it often suggests the formation and
influence of ideals, the importance of principles, values
and goals as well as present realities, perhaps a tendency
to represent things as they might be rather than as they
are.
5. Idealism is the philosophical theory which maintains that
experience is ultimately based on mental activity.
In literature, idealism refers to the thoughts or ideas of the
writer.
Man has two facets: spiritual and material . When the
emphasis is on realization of spiritual life, it is called
idealism.
Idealist does not have considerations for material values
of life.
To the idealist ‘Mind and Soul’ rather than the ‘Matter
and the Body’ are more important.
6. Idealist believe that ideas are the only true reality.
The material world is characterized by change, instability, and
uncertainty; some ideas are enduring
We should be concerned primarily with the search for truth.
Since truth is perfect and eternal, it cannot be found in the world
of matter that is both imperfect and constantly changing.
Idealist have idolized the Mind beyond everything.
Idealism is the philosophical theory that reality is essentially
mental or spiritual.
Idealism is opposed to materialism, the theory that reality is
physical
7. History
• Idealism is the oldest system of philosophy known to man. Its origins go
back to ancient India in the East, and to Plato in the West.
• Its basic viewpoint stresses the human spirit as the most important
element in life. The universe is viewed as essentially nonmaterial in its
ultimate nature.
• Although Idealist philosophers vary enormously on many specifics, they
agree on the following two points:
• 1. The human spirit is the most important element in life; and
• 2. The universe is essentially nonmaterial in its ultimate nature.
Idealism is one of the most important philosophies that have ever been
formulated. This talks of the attainment of perfection of human beings. The
term is derived from Greek word that means ‘to see’. Plato is the father of
idealism.
The basic belief of idealism is that man is a combination of spiritual and
material aspects of the two, spiritual aspect is considered to be more important.
An idealist gives more importance to the mind and self than the matter and
body.
8. Development / Leaders of Idealism
1. Socrates (469-399 BC)
2. Plato (427-347 BC)
3. St. Augustine (350-4300
4. Descartes (1596-1650)
5. Berkeley (1685-1753)
6. Kent (1724-1804)
9. Socrates
• Regarded as the father of philosophy
• Believed we learned through questioning (the Socratic
method)
• Wrote nothing, what we know of his views were written
by his followers, most notably Plato
10. Plato
• A student of Socrates
• Known as the father of idealism
• Operated a school named
the “Academy”
11. Plato’s views toward education
• The state must take an active role in educational matters
• The curriculum must lead bright students from a concern
with concrete data toward abstract thinking
• Students with little ability for abstraction should go into
the military, business and industry.
12. • Those who demonstrate proficiency in the
dialectic would continue their education and
become philosophers in positions of power to lead
the state toward the highest good (the
Philosopher-King)
• Believed both boys and girls should be educated
and girls
should be equals.
13. Augustine (354-430)
• People do not create knowledge; God has
already created it, but people can discover
it through trying to find God.
14. Augustine’s Beliefs
Women were held in low regard (this view was
incorporated into the church and held for a thousand
years)
Only a few people possessed the mental ability to
quest for the truth. Therefore most people should
rely on the
church for knowledge.
15. • Augustine used Greek writings but began to have doubts
how people who did not know God could write anything
which could be of value to Christians.
• In 401 the Church outlawed pagan writings such as Plato
and Aristotle (even the church leaders were not allowed
to read the
ancient literature). This continued
for 1000 years.
16. Augustine’s Beliefs about Teaching
• Encouraged the use of summaries
• Believed teachers should teach through persuasion and by
leading impeccable lives.
• Teachers should not expect to increase their worldly
stores through teaching.
• The “stick and fist” were needed to keep students in line
since people were wicked (because of Adam).
17. Descartes (1596-1650)
• A renown mathematician
• Wrestled with the question of what was real and did he
really exist (perhaps he was a dream). He finally
concluded: “I think, therefore I am”
• Thinking and ideas are the ultimate truth.
18. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
• “…the greatest and most difficult problem to which a
man can devote himself is the problem of education…”
• Education should teach students how to think according
to principles - moral laws, moral ideals
• and moral imperatives
• Enlightenment is the goal of
education
19. George Berkeley
• Berkeley is the founder of modern
Idealism. He reacted against
materialist philosophers like
Hobbes.
• Berkeley claimed that only the
conscious minds and
ideas/perceptions are reality
• The world is not external to or
independent of the mind
• The external world is a collection
of perceptions we mistakenly call
physical reality
20. George Berkeley (1685-1753)
• Existence is dependent upon some mind to know it, and
if there are no minds, nothing would exist unless it is
perceived in the mind of God.
21. Berkeley’s Idealism
• Berkeley’s Idealism included
two elements: objective and
subjective
• Subjective- all we know are
our own ideas
• Objective- Independent of our
perceptions; ideals exist in an
objective state
• Berkeley said we find out
about things of the world
through experience
• For Berkeley, all the things we
perceive around us are
nothing more than bundles of
our perceptions
22. Berkeley and Perception
• Berkeley argued: If we
carefully examine the
knowledge we have of
objects around us, we
see that the only
knowledge we have of
such objects consists of
the perception/sensation
we have of them in our
minds
23. Example of Berkeley’s concept of
Perception
• Berkeley argued that all
objects are bundles of
perceptions
• For example, a certain
color, taste, smell, figure
and consistency go
together, and are one
distinct thing, given by the
name apple.
• Because perceptions can
exist only in a mind, all
objects exist only in the
mind, and there is no
independent material reality
outside the mind.
24. Berkeley on Perception
• We may think that in
addition to our
perceptions, an external
world of material objects
exists
• However, the only basis
we have for these claims
about the material world
are perceptual
experiences, and these
exist entirely in the mind
• Therefore, the mind MUST
exist and reality consists
only of the mind and its
contents
25. Berkeley and God
• Berkeley thought that there are two different kinds of ideas in the
mind
• 1) Short-lived, changeable, and within our control.
• 2) Other ideas are more enduring, and are not within our control.
For example, the landmarks around us, whether buildings or nature,
which are not within our control. From where do the other ideas
derive their uniformity, and continuity if it is not from you. Berkeley
thought that this could only be explained as the work of another
supreme mind: the mind of God. He thought that God produced in
our minds these orderly perceptions we call the external world, and
it is God who produces this stability. This version of Berkeley’s
idealism is objective idealism. It allows us to view the universe as
an intelligent system because it is the product of a mind.
26. Eastern Idealism
• Vasubanbhu- similar to Berkeley, they believed
you could reach the truth through meditation
(Yogacarin)
• Vasubanbhu- mind-only doctrine, which argued
that we do not directly perceive objects around
us, we are actually perceiving the sensation in
our minds
• Objection- Why does everything seem to happen
in a specific position in space and at a specific
point in time?
27. Eastern Idealism
• He pointed to what happens in dreams
• So why can we tell our dreams are not the
real world? We wake up are realize it is
not
• Similarly, while we are in this illusionary
dream world we think it is real but can
awaken our minds through meditation and
ethical living
28. Objections to Idealism
• Idealism assumes that the universe has an
order and a purpose…What about natural
disasters and tragedy?
• Fallacy of “anthropomorphism”-attributing
human qualities to non-human entities,
especially God
29. Objections to Idealism
• Subjective idealism- since perceptions are
perceived and not objects, this doesn’t
answer the question of what things are
(rules out objective knowledge)
• Objective idealism- explains why
perceptible things persist in the mind and
offers intelligible world system
• World is intelligible because it is a product
of God’s mind, but how are we to know
God’s mind?
30. Methods of Idealism
• Study the classics for universal truths
• Mathematics (2+2=4 is an absolute truth)
• Dialectic (critical discussion)
– The dialectic looks at both sides of an issue
• Lecture is used to transmit known truths and to
stimulate thinking.
31. Principle of Idealism
1. Principle of universe mind
2. Man is spiritual being
3. Ideas and values are superior to materialistic world
4. Real knowledge in perceived in mind
32. Idealism as a philosophy of
Educational Aims
• Develop the mind
• Search for true ideas
• Character development
• Self-realization
True education is concerned with ideas rather than matter.
• The idealists wants to give students a broad understanding of
the world in which they live.
33. EDUCATIONAL THEORY OF
MODERN IDEALISM
• Aims of Education
• Curriculum
• The teaching learning process
• Methods of Teaching
34. The Teaching-Learning Process
Idealists have high expectations of the teacher. The teacher must be
excellent, in order to serve as an example for the student, both
intellectually and morally. No other single element in the school system
is more important than the teacher.
The teacher must excel in knowledge and in human insight into the
needs and capacities of the learners; and must demonstrate moral
excellence in personal conduct and convictions.
The teacher must also exercise great creative skill in providing
opportunities for the learners' minds to discover, analyze, unify,
synthesize and create applications of knowledge to life and behavior.
35. Methods of Teaching
The classroom structure and atmosphere should provide the learners
with opportunities to think, and to apply the criteria of moral
evaluation to concrete within the context of the subjects.
The teaching methods must encourage the acquisition of facts, as
well as skill in reflecting on these facts. It is not sufficient to teach
pupils how to think. It is very important that what pupils think about
be factual; otherwise, they will simply compound their ignorance.
Teaching methods should encourage learners to enlarge their
horizons; stimulate reflective thinking; encourage personal moral
choices; provide skills in logical thinking; provide opportunities to
apply knowledge to moral and social problems; stimulate interest in
the subject content; and encourage learners to accept the values of
human civilization
36. Idealism and education
• Interested in search for truth through ideas, with truth
comes responsibility to enlightens other “education is
transformation: ideas can change lives”.
• Role of a teacher is to bring out what is really there in
students(reminiscence)
• Plato believed education helped moved individuals
collectively towards achieving good.
• The state should be involved in education, moving
brighter students towards abstract ideas and the less able
towards collecting data- a gender free tracking system.
37. Cont…..
• Evils comes through ignorance, education
will lead to obliteration of evil
• Idealism emphasizes on inductive
reasoning/lecturing and dialogue.
38. conclusion
• So, In idealism, the aim of education is to discover and
develop each individual's abilities and full moral
excellence in order to better serve society. The curricular
emphasis is subject matter of mind: literature, history,
philosophy, and religion. Teaching methods focus on
handling ideas through lecture, discussion, and Socratic
dialogue (a method of teaching that uses questioning to
help students discover and clarify knowledge).
