IDEALISM

Reported by:

Christopher L ChuaIDEALISM

I. INTRODUCTION

Idealism is the metaphysical and epistemological doctrine that ideas or thoughts make up fundamental reality. Essentially it is any philosophy which argues that the only thing actually knowable is consciousness whereas we never can be sure that matter or anything in the outside world really exists thus the only the real things are mental entities not physical things which exist only in the sense that they are perceived. A broad definition of idealism could include many religious viewpoints although an idealistic viewpoint need not necessarily include God, supernatural beings or existences after death. In general parlance, idealism is also used to describe a persons high ideals (principles or values actively pursued as a goal) the word ideal is also commonly used as an adjective to designate qualities of perfection, desirability and excellence.

II. Statement of the ProblemHow Idealism develops?What is idealism to the mind of the philosophers?What are the aims of Education in relation to school curriculum?What are some basic questions to idealism philosophy?

3

III.DISCUSSION AND PRESENTATION

Idealistic philosophy takes many and varied forms but the postulate underlying all this is that mind or spirit is the essential world stuff, that the rule reality is a material character.

History of Idealism

History of IdealismPlato is the first philosophers to discuss the termed Idealism. Although his Platonic Idealism is referred to Platonic Realism, he maintained that these Forms had their own independent existence, which is not an idealist stance, but a realist one. However, it has been argued that Plato believed that "full reality" (as distinct from mere existence) is achieved only through thought, and so he could be described as a non-subjective, "transcendental" idealist.

Ren Descartes considered an early epistemological idealist,claim that all we know is what is in our own consciousnesses, and that the whole external world is merely an idea or picture in our minds( I think, therefore I am).Nicolas Malebranche, state that we only directly know internally the ideas in our mind; anything external is the result of God's operations, and all activity only appears to occur in the external world(Pantheism)

Gottfried Leibniz (Panpsychism), .External world is ideal in that it is a spiritual phenomenon whose motion is the result of a dynamic force dependent on these simple and immaterial monads. God, the "central monad", created a pre-established harmony between the internal world in the minds of the alert monads, and the external world of real objects, so that the resulting world is essentially an idea of the monads perception.

Bishop George Berkeley "Father of Idealism", and formulated the purest forms of Idealism in the early 18th Century. He argued that our knowledge must be based on our perceptions and that there was indeed no "real" knowable object behind one's perception (in effect, that what was "real" was the perception itself).

Immanuel Kant, he argued that the mind shapes the world as we perceive it to take the form of space-and-time.The mind is not a blank slate (or tabula rasa) but rather comes equipped with categories for organizing our sense impressions, even if we cannot actually approach the noumena (the "things-in-themselves") which emit or generate the phenomena (the "things-as-they-appear-to-us") that we perceive(Transcendental Idealism ).

Johann Gottlieb Fichte , claimed that consciousness makes its own foundation, and does not have any grounding in a so-called "real world" (indeed, it is not grounded in anything outside of itself). He was the first to posit a theory of knowledge where absolutely nothing outside of thinking itself would be assumed to exist.

G. W. F. Hegel famous German Idealists, argued that any doctrine (such as Materialism, for example) asserts finite qualities (or merely natural objects) are fully real is mistaken, because finite qualities depend on other finite qualities to determine them(Absolute Idealism)

Idealism in EducationIdealism pervades all the creation and it is an underlying, unlimited and ultimate force which regions supreme overall m ind and matter. They all advocate its great importance in education and lay more emphasis on aims and principles of education than on models, aids and devices.

Idealism in Education

Idealism pervades all the creation and it is an underlying, unlimited and ultimate force which regions supreme overall m ind and matter. They all advocate its great importance in education and lay more emphasis on aims and principles of education than on models, aids and devices.

Idealism and Aims of Education1.Self-realization or Exhalation of Personality:2. To Ensure Spiritual Development3. Development of Intelligences and Rationality:

Idealism and Curriculum

Aim of life is to realize God pursuing truth, beauty and Goodness(Plato) curriculum can be used to shape human character through Maxims or enduring principles for human activity. The development and learning of the child through activity and trained minds to think and infuse ideas on what is right and wrong(KANT) the promotion of moral values.

Features of character developmentObedience to his masters commandObedience to what he feels to be good and reasonable will;Voluntary obedience General rule for allDuty as a child (Punishment physical or moral)Truthfulness(Mans tells lies has no character)Negative and positive punishmentSociableness(Friendship for character development )

Critique of Idealism (Strengths and Weaknesses)

The high cognitive level and bookish approach that idealist promoteConcern for safeguarding and promoting cultural learningGreat concern for morality and character developmentView of teacher for revered person central to educational processStress on importance of self realizationStress on the human personal side of lifeIndustrialization and technology advancementDevelopment of scienceIdealist curiculum for lacking relevance.

Roles of Teacher Assist students in choosing important materials;Serve as exemplary model;Teacher expected o encourage student to ask question and to provide suitable environment;Socratic characteristic( analysing, discussing with others)Encourage students to used critical thingking;(Infuse them with a desire to improve their thingking in the deepest possible way).

Basic Questions to Philosophy of IdealismWhat is knowledge?-know about universal spiritual truth that underline reality and about ideas that reflect truth.

What is the school?-a intellectual institution where teachers and students pursue the question.( what is beauty? What is good life?)

How should we teach?- The effective means of teaching and learning process .

IV.ImplicationsIdealism for todays classroom teaching seeks to create schools that are intellectual centers to the learners. We teachers, being vital agents, encourage our students in guiding and making them realize their fullest potentials, and appreciate the finest and most enduring achievements of the culture and recognize internet that can make great books accessible to all. However, insist that technology should be used as means of education and not as an extra activities. No period of history has ever been great or even can be that does not act on of high idealistic motives and idealism in our tim has been shoves aside and we are paying the penalty for it.

Man can do what he wills,but he cannot will what he willsArthur Schopenhauer

V. ReferencesBroundy,S. (1961). Building a Philosophy of Education. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Butler, J., Donald, Four Philosophies and Their Education and Religion. New York: Harper & Row.Herbart, J.F., The Science of Education. Boston: D.C.Heath & Company, 1902.Locke, John. Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902. The basic statement of Lockes epistemological position.Singh,Y.K.,(2007). Philosophy Foundation Of Education: Ansari road: S.B.Nangia.