Idealism

Idealism is a philosophical and metaphysical doctrine that asserts that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing. In contrast to Materialism, idealism asserts the primacy of consciousness as the origin and prerequisite of material phenomena. According to this view, consciousness exists before and is the pre-condition of material existence. Consciousness creates and determines the material and not vice versa. Idealism believes consciousness and mind to be the origin of the material world and aims to explain the existing world according to these principles.

History

Idealism as a philosophical standpoint has its roots in the metaphysics of Plato and Kant, and was most strongly articulated in the 18th and 19th centuries by the German philosophers Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

Types of Idealism

There are several types of idealism, including:

• Subjective Idealism: This form of idealism posits that only minds and mental contents exist. It entails and is generally identified or associated with immaterialism, the doctrine that material things do not exist.

• Objective Idealism: This form of idealism asserts that the reality, or reality as humans can know it, is fundamentally mentally constructed or otherwise immaterial.

• Transcendental Idealism: Introduced by Immanuel Kant, this form of idealism argues that all knowledge originates in perceived phenomena, which have been organized by categories.

• Absolute Idealism: This form of idealism, introduced by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, posits that in order for human consciousness to make sense of the world, all things must be ultimately brought together under a single system or absolute truth.

Criticisms

Idealism has been criticized by many philosophers who advocate for a more Materialistic view of the world. These criticisms often center around the idea that idealism is too abstract and lacks the concrete nature of reality.

See Also

• Materialism
• Dualism
• Monism
• Metaphysics
• Epistemology

References

Idealism Resources
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