Updated July 22, 2022 897 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. In life, we use the word idealism when we want to hint that someone is wearing rose-colored glasses and sees the world in too rosy colors.
Well, or about a person’s desire for ideals, a highly moral way of life. In general, all this concerns idealists - a special breed of people who believe in the reality of the ideal.
“An idealist is a person who, noticing that a rose smells better than cabbage, concludes that the soup made from it tastes better.” Henry Louis Mencken, American journalist
And if everything is more or less clear with the idealism of the blessed idealists, then with idealism in philosophy there is a problem.
The problem is that this concept among philosophers has a different root - not IDEAL , like naive dreamers, but IDEA , that is, spirit or consciousness (how is that?).
At the birth of the word, a misunderstanding occurred, the treacherous letter l made its way into the suffix, and instead of legitimate idealism, we got confusion between two concepts, one of which also means a fundamental philosophical direction.
In this article we will answer the questions of what idealism is in philosophy, when this movement originated, how it developed and influenced thinkers of different generations.
Historical purpose
Despite the long existence and age of philosophy, the origin of the term dates back only to the 17th-18th centuries AD. The words “idea” and “idealists” were constantly circulating in scientific circles, but did not find a corresponding continuation. Until, in 1702, Leibniz called Plato and Epicurus great maximalists and idealists.
Later, Diderot defined the concept of idealists. The French figure called such philosophers blind, recognizing only their own existence, the existence of the world of sensations.
Kant perceived direction as the theory of the existence of objects in space separately from man. The thinker did not accept the material form of flow. The German classic was the author of transcendental (formal) idealism, which opposed the previous one. Based on the impossibility of the origin of things outside our consciousness, Kant argued that nothing can exist outside the human mind.
The year 1800 was the discovery of Schelling's theory of the extension of a formal principle to the scale of the knowledge system as a whole.
Hegel believed that the essence of the doctrine boils down to the non-recognition of the finite as indisputably valid. The scientist believed that self-respecting intellectual science is subject to the principles of this particular focus.
According to Marx, dynamic reality developed only through idealistic actions, but figuratively. Materialism reflected contemplation, a lack of action.
Engels argued in 1886 that supporters of the theory of the primacy of spirit over nature unwittingly became the founders of the idealistic concept. Opponents who recognize the primacy of nature become adherents of materialism.
The History of Philosophy, published in 1957-1965 in the USSR, explained: “The main stages in the development of a branch of science are the confrontation of a pair of leading movements, where one reflects the breakthrough ideas of society, and the other comes down to conservative, reactionary views.”
The history of the use of the term became widespread in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in European countries.
Kant's supporters considered themselves idealists, while representatives of the British school of absolute idealism became followers of Hegel.
In the second half of the twentieth century, sages and thinkers avoided using the term, but when discussing, they increasingly used the word “ideology.”
Basic ideas of idealism
The basis for idealism is the primacy of everything spiritual and immaterial, while everything material is relegated to the background. This feature makes idealism extremely close to religion, which also asserts the finitude of the world in time, as well as its arrangement by God. Idealism uses the teleological point of view as the main counter-argument to materialistic determinism. However, it is worth noting that idealism has a wide number of interpretations, despite the fact that the term is obviously considered to be originally philosophical.
From the point of view of the theory of class society, idealism is a certain scientific continuation of various mythical, religious and fantastic ideas. Idealism and its various philosophical issues and features greatly impede scientific progress. Nevertheless, the questions raised by the followers of idealism contributed to the rapid pace of development of philosophy, since they made it possible to explore various forms of knowledge.
In any case, idealism is extremely closely related to religion, since it is inherently a certain conceptual and conceptual expression of a religious point of view. In almost all centuries, idealism has been a certain philosophical approach to the justification of faith.
What does the concept mean?
The meaning of the term is multifaceted. When accessible to segments of the population with different status and standard of living, it implies a tendency to overestimate reality. By reflecting on the actions of another person, a person implies that the individual was motivated solely by good intentions. This way of thinking is a manifestation of optimism. Otherwise, idealism is the predominance of moral values over material ones. It is also a neglect of the actual circumstances of life in favor of the triumph of spiritual forces. Idealistic psychological philosophy, of the types listed earlier, reflects a state of mind, a subjective attitude to reality.
Subjectivism and its influence
The subjective current positions human consciousness as the ideal source. Under such circumstances, reality loses its objective character, because everything, as supporters of subjectivism believe, happens in the head of the individual. The current takes on a new manifestation - solipsism, in other words, the affirmation of the uniqueness of the existence of a specific subject. Real processes that occur in the surrounding world are the result of the activity of consciousness. Berkeley reveals the theory of solipsism more than other “colleagues.”
In practice, adherents of subjective views maintain moderation and do not openly oppose the existence of generally accepted reality, because they do not provide significant evidence of sensory teaching. Kant is sure that such a statement of things is “a scandal in scientific society.” Modern society observes the continuation of trends in pragmatism and existentialism. Protagoras, Berkeley, and Kant are considered famous representatives of scientific teaching.
Subjective opinion
According to this trend in idealism, only ideas can be known and have any reality. In some treatises it is also called solipsism or dogmatic idealism. Thus, no statement about anything outside one's mind has any justification.
Bishop George Berkeley was the main proponent of this position, and he argued that so-called “objects” existed only insofar as we perceived them: they were not constructed from independently existing matter. Reality only seemed to persist, either because people continued to perceive things or because of the persisting will and mind of God.
Philosophical objectivism
Objective idealism in the science of man and the world is the doctrine of the superiority of the ideal principle over human consciousness. Representatives of this movement believe that the origin is a certain “cosmic spirit.” One stage of its development contributes to the emergence of the world, the origin of life on Earth. This worldview is very close to religion, where God is the creator of the universe, but has no material essence. Objective idealists consider their direction not to be religious, but connections with church dogmas have been preserved and there is evidence of this. Plato and Hegel are considered prominent figures in the doctrine.
Features of the development of modern idealism
In modern philosophy there are quite a large number of existentialists who are close to idealistic views. Among them we can highlight L. Shestov (1866-1938), N. Berdyaev (1874-1848), M. Heidegger (1889-1976), G. Marcel (1889-1973), J.P. Sartre (1905-1980), A. Camus (1913-1960). It is important to note here that for every existentialist the most important component is the existence of an individual person with his feelings and experiences. From this the task of philosophy is formed, which is to find some meaning of a person, that is, his true existence. In order to understand the world around us, a person must first understand his own meaning of existence. Here, the point of view of K. Jaspers is indicative, who argues that the scientific approach does not allow answering the question about the meaning of life and the meaning of science itself.
At the same time, according to existentialists, the true form of any philosophical knowledge is intuition, which in its essence is some reflection of the subjective experiences of the individual. Also, all existentialists divide human existence into genuine and inauthentic. Genuine implies a free life, where a person makes all decisions independently, and is also responsible for his own decisions. Inauthentic life is the complete immersion of an individual in everyday life.
It is worth noting that in the 20th century, another philosophical movement appeared - personalism, which in its essence began to closely intersect with subjective idealism. All personalists consider a person from the point of view of two aspects: spiritual, that is, a person as a person, and also material, a person as an individual. The first aspect is explained by the presence of a person’s free and reasonable spiritual fundamental principle and freedom of choice. The second aspect is formed on the fact that man is part of nature and society, and is also subject to its laws. Personalists argue that the individual man submits only to God, in contrast to the individual man, who also submits to society. From this feature follows the importance of religion, which acts as a link between the divine personality and man.
English School
The difference in worldviews of dogmatic idealism is represented by the students and followers of the English school. Philosophers deny spiritual entities, the independence of subjects, and give importance to the existence of groups of associated ideas and consciousnesses in the absence of subjects. Their views intersect with empiricism and sensationalism. Mill founded this theory of unconsciousness, but Hume refuted its objectivity, since it was incompatible with any proven knowledge.
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German school
The German school of thought discovered a unique direction - transcendental idealism. Kant put forward a theory from which it follows that the world of phenomena is determined by irrefutable conditions of knowledge - space, time, categories of thinking. The philosophers of this doctrine, as subjective idealists, believed: physical bodies are accessible to man only by perfect nature, and the real nature of phenomena is beyond the boundaries of knowledge. Kant's theory of knowledge is perceived as a manifestation of extremes and is divided into branches:
- Subjective (founder Fichte);
- Objective (founder Schelling);
- Absolute (founder Hegel).
The currents described above differ in their perception of the reality of the surrounding world. Kant considers the existence of the world to be undeniable and fully meaningful. According to Fichte, reality is an unreflected facet that stimulates the individual to create an ideal world. Schelling transforms the outer edge inward, considering it the origin of the creative essence, which is something intermediate between subject and object. For Hegel, reality self-destructs, world progress is perceived through the self-realization of the absolute idea.
It becomes possible to understand idealism if you direct your aspirations towards the realization of absolute truth in everyday reality.
Materialism
As the name implies, materialism takes the position that matter is the only existing, primary principle. The world is material, substantial - everything that exists exists objectively, regardless of consciousness. The ideal, the mental, is secondary and is determined by the material nature of the world. Consciousness itself arose and developed in the process of awareness and perception of objectively existing reality, and is nothing more than its reflection. Thus, being determines consciousness, and nothing else.
Like idealism, materialism has a long history and was characteristic of a number of ancient philosophers. Democritus of Abdera (V-IV centuries BC), one of the scientists and smartest men of Ancient Greece, was the founder of atomic materialism. According to him, everything consists of atoms - indivisible particles of matter that have existence. The movement of these same particles in emptiness determines the variety of forms of existing objects and phenomena. As we see, Democritus in many ways anticipated the modern scientific understanding of the nature of things.
Among other ancient materialists, it is worth mentioning the Greek Epicurus (IV-III centuries BC) and the Roman Lucretius Cara (I century BC). In addition to the theories of these philosophers, materialistic ideas are also found in other teachings that interpret the nature of the psyche. An example is the idea that has come down to us that a person’s temperament is determined by the nature and relationship of material components, such as the elements or humoral fluids.
This subtype of materialism is called spontaneous. At the next stage of development, the philosophers of the New Time developed the doctrine of the materialistic nature of all things from a different position - mechanistic materialism. It is not characterized by dialectics, but, on the contrary, such characteristics of matter as stability, constancy, and immutability come to the fore. Matter is a thing in itself, materialists argued, and consciousness is its attribute. Thus, the world is unknowable.
Representatives of mechanistic materialism, also called metaphysical, are Francis Bacon (1561–1626), Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), John Locke (1632–1704), Julien La Mettrie (1709–1751), Claude Adrian Helvetius (1715–1771) , Paul Henri Holbach (1723–1789). They lived and worked in an era of great scientific and industrial discoveries and progress, and the desire to understand the world from the point of view of exact sciences and mechanics is reflected in their philosophical concepts.
The next important stage in the development of materialism was the creation of its dialectical variety. This doctrine, created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and subsequently developed by Vladimir Lenin, formed the basis of Soviet scientific methodology. It combines dialectics - the doctrine of development through internal contradictions, and materialism - the recognition of an objectively existing reality, independent of consciousness or thinking. Those who adhere to this direction of philosophical thought believe that real being is fundamentally knowable.
The strengths of dialectical materialism are a comprehensive consideration of the subject, objectivity and versatility, flexibility and scientific approach, recognition of internal contradictions and conflicting principles, and through them the constant development of existing phenomena and things and the transition to new rounds of evolution.
These are the three main variants of materialism. With the development of the materialistic approach to life, it seemed that it was able to explain the structure of the world, but even the most objective and comprehensive materialism cannot provide answers to many questions affecting the ideal and intangible. How to embrace both ends of the spectrum of life has haunted thinking, reflective people of all ages, and new concepts have been created to resolve the contradiction between them. Some of these views in philosophical theory are worth talking about separately.
