Idealism
Chapter 1 - Worldview
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Welcome to the Idealism page
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Idealism is a philosophical movement which holds that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual in nature. In everyday language, it often describes an optimistic but naïve worldview.
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Core Ideas
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The biggest bias within science / scientific realism is motivated reasoning, whereby people are more likely to accept evidence that supports their hypothesis and more likely to scrutinize findings that do not. This can lead to all forms of Idealism.
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Arguments in favour of idealism
Following arguments collectively form the foundation of idealism, challenging materialist and realist perspectives on the nature of reality and human knowledgeː
- All qualities attributed to objects are sense qualities that exist only while being perceived by a subject. It rejects the idea that sense perceptions are caused by material substance, instead claiming that "esse est percipi" - "to be is to be perceived" (George Berkely)
- Through immediate subjective awareness, the intuitive self can directly apprehend ultimate reality, revealing it to be spiritual in nature
Leading toː
- Conceptual essences (existing only in the intellect) and categorial essences (existing in reality) assert that every actual reality is a unity of categorial essences and existence, making it an immaterial ideality or concrete universal (Originally a proof for God's existence by St. Anselm)
- Space and time are features of our minds rather than 'things-in-themselves' (Emmanuel Kant)
- Only the central role of the ideal or spiritual in interpreting experience may assert that the world or reality exists essentially as spirit or consciousness
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Plato's influence
Plato's philosophy laid the groundwork for many aspects of later idealist thoughtː
- Plato's assertion of the reality of non-physical Forms aligns with later idealist views that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual
- The notion that abstract Ideas are more real than physical objects influenced subsequent idealist thinkers
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The road from idealism to liberalism
Enlightenment thinkers developed concepts of individual liberty, natural rights, and freedom of expression, which became central to liberal ideology. These ideas resonated with idealist emphasis on human agency and self-determinationː
- Idealism and liberalism often embody an optimistic view of human nature and the potential for progress. Idealists believe in the power of ideas and mental constructs to shape reality, while liberals typically believe in the capacity of individuals and societies to improve through reason and reform
- Emphasis on individual agency: Idealism, particularly in its focus on mental causation and human freedom, aligns with liberal values of personal autonomy and self-determination. Both philosophies tend to emphasize the importance of human agency in shaping outcomes
- Both idealism and liberalism often have difficulties with the reality of normative facts and values. Idealists may argue for the non-physical reality of norms, while liberals typically ground their political philosophy in certain normative assumptions about human rights and freedoms
Liberal philosophy incorporates several elements of idealism, blending practical political theory with more abstract philosophical concepts
- Optimistic worldview: liberals believe in the capacity of individuals and societies to improve through reason and reform, while idealists emphasize the power of ideas to shape reality
- Individual agency and freedom: Liberalism emphasizes individual autonomy and self-determination, which aligns with idealist notions of human freedom and mental causation. This focus on individual agency is central to liberal political thought
- Liberals often advocate for pursuing ideals in personal and political life, similar to how idealists view the role of abstract concepts in shaping reality. This is evident in liberal theories of international relations that champion ideas like democratic peace and free trade
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Deep dive
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Arguments against idealism
- Idealism suggests that objects only exist when perceived, which implies that things pop in and out of existence when not observed. This seems absurd and contradicts our experience of a continuous world
- Idealists struggle to explain the relationship between their minds and bodies. For instance, they cannot use their minds to eliminate physical symptoms like fatigue or muscle tension from lack of sleep, which contradicts the idea that reality is purely mental
- Idealism is false because it entails the impossibility of a single experiencer having multiple conflicting perspectives simultaneously
- Idealism often relies on a priori reasoning and introspection, which are inverifiable
- The "esse est percipi" principle leads to extreme uncertainty and relativism, which is not conducive to meaningful knowledge
- Berkeley's argument relies heavily on the existence of God to maintain the continuity of objects when not perceived by humans
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