A BRIEF HISTORY OF IDEALISM

Idealism and naturalism have been the two long standing rivals in philosophy throughout the centuries stretching from ancient to modern times.

PLATO (427BC – 347 BC)

One o f the Plato’s central themes in his famous doctrine of ides, this is a conception of “forms” or universal that are

1. Metaphysically prior to and

2. Ideals for particular things existing in mans world

There are ideas that are so real and enduring that objects of sense are fleeting as compared to them. In fact, physical objects are only imperfect embodiments of ides, i.e., of the respective ideas they represent. There is the universal ideas “bed” of which all particular bed s are imperfect expressions.

There are also ideas that are not represented in physical forms. These include absolute beauty, goodness and essence. These are the great realities.

It is understandable that such a glorification of ideas could be termed or as an “ism”. The real term should have been “ideaism”. (‘l’ was no doubt added for euphony- for a pleasing name and easier for pronounce.)

RENE DESCARTES

There are two main ideas with Descartes.

1. Self is the most immediate reality in the experience of each one of us

2. The existence of god is evidenced in the experience of each of us by the fact that we have an idea of perfect being.

Descartes described one of his solitary episodes in reflection:

“The setting in of winter arrested me in a locality where, as I found no society to interest me, and was besides fortunately undisturbed by any cares of passions, I remained the whole day in a seclusion, with full opportunity to occupy my attention with my own thoughts”. Even Descartes doubted his senses, assuming that until he had more conclusive arguments the world about him was no more real that the illusions of his dreams.

But his line of reasoning brought him to one intuition that he felt could not be doubted. He recognized that in his doubting there was some thinking going on. Some one was doing some thinking, and he himself was the thinker. “It was absolutely necessary that I, who thus thought, should be somewhat”. And so he drew the now famous Cartesian inference, “I think, therefore I am”. This belief is the reality of the self war to him a self evident truth that was confirmed by the fact of his doubt. Descartes himself identifies that he is not a perfect being because he doubts.

And since he is an imperfect being, the ‘idea’ of perfect being holder. The ideas of this perfect being now existing in Descartes in the result of the existence of the very perfect being. Therefore there is a perfect being; i.e., God exists.

THE METAPHYSICS OF IDEALISM

Idealism appeals to most people on account of the rather unconscious disposition most of us have to feel that in some way we ourselves are real existent being, not transitory illusions, not dreams

Most men have the idea that they have a soul which is different from their bodies and some how more enduring and permanent. This idea is refined and brought into full bloom intellectually by idealism.

Idealists believe in:-

THE REALITY OF THE SELF. They considers that every knower (person) is the piece of reality from which all knowing must move outward. Idealism considers the self as a spiritual reality the soul and not as a biological entity. Idealist says that the ‘self’ is a unity at its birth. When fully realized in that ultimate day which is far off, it will be a differentiated unity. It will have many and various facets, dimensions and expressions, but they will not be in conflict with each other.

The counterpart of the idealist’s belief in the reality of the self in his belief that the world about him, the “not self”, as Fitche might say, is spiritual, made of the same stuff and the self.

Mary Whiton Calkins (1863-1930) states that the universe is through and through mental in character….all that is real in ultimately mental and accordingly personal in nature. The universe literally is one all including (and accordingly complete) self of which all the lesser selves are genuine and identical parts or members. Prof. Gutek says “Idealist metaphysics involves a transition from the notion of an individual mind to the assumption that the entire universe is itself also a larger and more comprehensive spiritual mind”.

Belief in freedom is common among idealists; it does not mean unlimited freedom that would produce evil. The essential genius of the self is initiative. We are free to determine our selfhood in the idealist paradigm is universe and other selves are extension of the self represented by I. To be bring the individual self has all the freedom essential to self determination.

THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF IDEALISM

The theory of knowledge is basic in any philosophy. Idealism says that my understanding the nature of knowledge gives you the key to the nature of reality.

People generally are all too naïve (straight forward to accept) is accepting the so called truth as true. The preacher expounds a certain religious content from the pulpit and the congregation supposedly accepts it as true content. The teacher of science expound to his students. The latest discoveries in his field, the students usually accepting them as the true content of that science. The newspaper parades certain ideas before the people in the hope that the people will accept this propaganda as the true content in politics.

But the content has a way of changing as time goes on. Religious doctrines develop and grow so that the content of pulpit utterances can be seen to change, ever when the identity of the preacher remains the same. Scientific knowledge is constantly developing, so that the content of science taught is the classrooms changes noticeably, almost from year to year. And newspapers change hands, also political influences rise and fall, so that a given press may expound one doctrine during one period, and the direct opposite in another.

The sensible listener/learner/reader can read and listen to the ideas of the ‘indoctrinators’ with amusement. They can laugh when they see these indoctrinators changes sides. Idealists are not satisfied to give and take in truths as though they were neat packages which can be bartered and exchanges. They cannot accept an alleged truth without also approving the process by which it has been discovered. In fact the process of discovery is the certificate of the idea.

Idealist epistemology recognizes knowledge as the reminiscence of latent ideas already present in the comprehension spiritual mind (macro cosmic mind). Immanuel Kant on analysis of knowledge says

1. Pure sensation is a chaotic process in which al kinds of sensory stimulations are passively received by the mind.
2. The chaos of sensations is resolved into orderliness. This is done by the two categories of perception-space and time-which group sensory qualities into objects and events.
3. Further unity of concepts and ideas are achieved by rational categories of mind as the need for linking causes and effects etc.

Mary Whiton Calkins tells us that by direct observations he has knowledge of the self and its limitations.

“Because I encounter mental reality, directly experience it, realize it as some how significantly different from what I observe as bodily process or physical reality, I assert its existence”

Regarding direct knowledge or the limits of the self she says:

“In……direct experience of myself …….I am aware of myself as, at many points involuntarily limited, thwarted and hampered. But this direct awareness of myself as involuntarily limited involves and includes the direct consciousness of something-which –is-in-some-sense-outside-me”

Through direct observation she claims to have found two indisputable realities

1. the fact of the self

2. the fact that the self is limited by something beyond it.

These two self wident facts of experience she hold are contradictory unless there is some similarity of substance between the self and the ‘not self’. For her the only solution to the contradiction id in believing that the not self is also a self. The one which is a greater self of which I constitute an identical part.

Man’s nature is spiritual and divine we can realize his nature fully only through education. “Education must enable mankind through its culture to enter more and more fully into the spiritual realm. “Rust Horne says “The end of ends, the goal of goals, according to idealism, is the increasing realization of the absolute idea for the individual, society and the race”. The aim of education is the enhancement or enrichment of personality, the differentiating feature of which is the embodiment of universal values.

AIMS OF EDUCATION

1. Development of personality

The divine within man has to be unfolded and brought consciousness. Education helps self realization and exaltation of human personality

2. Synthesis of man and nature

Idealism believes in the concept of ‘universe as home’. One has to know and feel the permanent laws which guide and control natural phenomena. These laws of nature are the causes of all natural activity. Only thorough such knowledge can the educand arrive at harmony with all that lies around him.

3. Enrichment of culture

The culture is the product of man’s creative activity. Education should preserve and enrich culture, enlarging the boundaries of spiritual realm. It must maintain and transmit the values of the past.

4. Cultivation of moral values

The function of education is to help us in our own exploration of the ultimate, universal values so that the truth of the universe may become our truth and give power to our life.

IDEALISM AND CURRICULUM

1. Bases of curriculum

The bases of curriculum are the imparting of spiritual and cultural heritage to the child along with personality development.

2. Emphasis on Humanities

Emphasis is placed on the study of humanities such as literature, art, religion, morality etc. Idealism also emphasizes physical health as it is instrumental to the health of the mind and the spirit.

James Ross has given a scheme of curriculum that reflects idealist tendencies.

Methods of teaching

Idealism has not contributed much towards the teaching techniques. Many elements of the idealist methodology are common with those of the naturalist, realist and pragmatist methodology.

However Pestalozzi, Froebel and other have advocated. Some techniques like

I. Questioning

II. Discussion

III. Lecture Method

IV. Imitation

The Socratic Method and Discussion Method form the basis of idealism. Idealism lay emphasis on 3 processes.

I. Instruction

II. Activity

III. Experience

The instruction does not mean stuffing child’s mind with information. It implies refinement and modification of child’s mind. All learning must be through doing. The learning process is centered around freedom, self activity and initiative. Every learner should base his education on his own experience. Hence opportunities should be provided for exploring new ideas and new areas of interest to the learner.