31456268 idealism in education

8/3/2019 31456268 Idealism in Education

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Idealism in education

Dr. V. K. MaheshwariPh. D

Former Principal K.L.D.A.V CollegeRoorkee, India

Dr. Suraksha Bansal,Ph. D

Sr. Lecturer D.I.M.SMeerut, India

An idealist is one who on, on noticing that a rose smells better than acabbage, concludes that it is also more nourishing.

Mencken H. L.On Ideals and Idealism

The educational approach of this philosophy is of a holistic nature. In which self-realization and character development is strongly supported. The idealist feelsthat with the growth of a fine moral character as well as personal reflection,wisdom is gained. The holistic approach is supported instead of a specializedconcentration on a specific targeted area. By combining experiences gainedthrough critical thinking and dealing with broader topics, the idealist creates anenvironment in which a learner can rationalize information across curriculum.

Idealism as a philosophy had its greatest impact during the nineteenth century.Its influence in todays world is less important than it has been in the past..Idealism is the conclusion that the universe is expression of intelligence and will,that the enduring substance of the world is the nature of the mind, that thematerial is explained by the mental. Idealism as a philosophy stands in contrastwith all those systems of thought that center in nature (naturalism) or in man(humanism)." According to idealism "to be" means to be experienced by aperson. Idealism holds that the order of the world is due to the manifestation inspace and time of an eternal and spiritual reality. As to knowledge, idealismholds that knowledge is man thinking the thoughts and purposes of this eternal

and spiritual reality as they are embodied in our world of fact. As to ethics,idealism holds that the goodness of man's individual and social life is theconformity of the human will with the moral administration of the universe.

Idealism as an educational philosophy is generally linked to the work ofH.H.Horne and William Hocking. In the Forty-first Yearbook of the NationalSociety for the Study of Education, entitled Philosophies of Education, H.H.Horne


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lists ten grounds for accepting an idealistic philosophy of education. Among themore persuasive of these arguments are:

1. The mind is the principle of explanation and knowledge of any-thing, even ofthe mind itself, is a product of the mind.

2. The mind is of a different nature than matter. It is composed of a differentsubstance.

3. There can be no object without a subject thinking about it.

The last of these three arguments is directly related to the position taken byBishop George Berkeley. This will be discussed in more detail in a later sectionof this chapter.

Perhaps the fullest picture of the educational concomitants of idealism can be

gained by studying the educational system of Italy as it was reformed byGiovanni Gentile. Between 1922 and 1924 Gentile was Minister of Education inthe Mussolini government.

Gentile also developed a theoretical justification for Italian fascism and theconception of mans subservient relationship to the state. This places the state inthe position of being a closer approximation of the Ideal than the individual, andfor this reason the individual owes his allegiance to the state.

Idealism and realism in education are often considered together in educationalphilosophy under the name essentialism. This is in part because, although their

of the universe differ radically, their view concerning the nature of truth aresimilar. Both of these positions, as we shall see, view truth as immutable,permanent, and unchanging.

Definition and meaning of Idealism

The main tenant of idealism is that ideas and knowledge are the truest reality.Many things in the world change, but ideas and knowledge are enduring.Idealism was often referred to as idea-ism. Idealists believe that ideas canchange lives. The most important part of a person is the mind. It is to benourished and developed.

Pronunciation: [I-'dee--liz-m]Definition: (1) (From "idea") The Platonic theory that ultimate reality lies in arealm beyond the real world, that the real world is a by-product of mental orsupernatural states; art that rejects realism for the world of imagination. (2) (From"ideal") The practice of living according to a set of ideals; overly optimistichopefulness.


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Plato, who taught in the Grove of Academus (or simply "Academeia") in Athens,argued that only concepts are real since they do not change over time as do theobjects they represent. Nothing exists until the idea of it exists, hence somesupreme power must have conceived of the universe before it came intoexistence. Real objects are the concepts in one's mind, which must be delivered

by the teacher, a kind of mental midwife (see "maieutics" in the Archives). Thiswas the original, philosophical meaning of "idealism," seldom used any moreoutside the philosophy classroom.

Etymology: From Greek idea "form, shape" from *weid- also the origin of the "his"in his-tor "wise, learned" underlying English "history." In Latin this root becamevidere "to see" and related words. It is the same root in Sanskrit veda "knowledgeas in the Rig-Veda. The stem entered Germanic as witan "know," seen in ModernGerman wissen "to know" and in English "wisdom" and "twit," a shortened form ofMiddle English atwite derived from t "at" +witen "reproach."

In short Idealism is a philosophical position which adheres to the view thatnothing exists except as it is and idea in the mind of man, the mind of God, or ina super or supra-natural realm. The idealist believes that the universe has anintelligence and a will; that all material things are explainable in terms of a mindstanding behind them.

Historical Retrospect of Idealism

Pre-Christian Origins: Plato

The origin and development of the Platonic doctrine of Ideas is one of the mosteffective and fruitful processes in the entire history of western philosophy.

Plato was a follower of Socrates, a truly innovative thinker of his time, who didnot record his ideas, but shared them orally through a question and answerapproach. Plato presented his ideas in two works: The Republic and Laws. Hebelieved in the importance of searching for truth because truth was perfect andeternal. He wrote about separating the world of ideas from the world of matter.Ideas are constant, but in the world of matter, information and ideas areconstantly changing because of their sensory nature. .

The beginnings of the idealist philosophical position are generally attributed toPlato, but may be traced back to the thought of his teacher, Socrates. WilhelmWideband in his book, History of Philosophy, points out the importance of thePlatonic position for future thinkers.


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Wideband points out hat there is no question that the opposition betweenSocrates and the Sophists formed the starting-point for Platonic thought. TheSocratic rejection of the Sophists was based of the feeling that it was immoral toargue either or both sides of the question without commitment or concern as toright as to right or wrong. This sense of the immoral led to the Platonic search for

a higher system of values.

In his writings Plato is most concerned with separating the permanent from thetemporary, the real from that which is merely illusory. To this end, Platoseparates the day to day reality of things seen and felt from the eternal realitywhich can only be known through the thought processes. Those things that wesee and feel and experiences are simply temporary, they are merely reflectionsas Plato points out in his allegory of the cave.

a. There is a cave in which men are chained facing a wall. On a ledge, behindthose who are chained, another group of men walk carrying things. Behind the

men on the ledge is a fire which casts their shadows on the wall for the chainedmen to see.

b. Platos analogy indicates that he world we know, the world of our senses, islike the shadows. It is unreal but we believe it to be the true reality because ofhabit and because it is the only reality with which we are familiar. The RealWorld, the World of Ideas, is of a different order, just as the men on the ledge areof a different order than their shadows.

c. A more contemporary analogy might be made with the movies. If a personwere forced to spend his whole life watching black and white movies, benign fed

intravenously and having all of his sensations controlled so that the onlyexperience available to him was the screen convinced that what he saw wasreality. Experiments in sensory deprivation have shown that a person deprived ofsensory stimulation can be made to believe almost anything. Thus, when our filmviewer is finally taken out into the bright world of color he would, according toPlato, be so shocked, upset, and disturbed that he would be unable to believethat this was the reality and at first would want to return to the other existenceof the cave (or motion picture theatre) because it would be the only reality hecould stand.

d. Plato distinguished between the use of reason and the use of the senses. Hisposition was that in order to know something of the Real World (the realm of pureIdeas) we need to withdraw from the use of our senses and rely on a purelyintellectual approach. Plato, then, was the first philosophy to lay the logicalgroundwork necessary to support a theory of immaterial reality. This is clearlyseen in his explanation of the allegory of his friend Glaucon.

The prison house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and youwill not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent


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of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, atyour desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But,whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea ofgood appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen is alsoinferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light

and of the lord of light in his visible world, and the immediate source of reason antruth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would actrationally either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.

Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific visionare unwilling to descend to descend to human affairs; for their souls everhastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell

It is from the above position that Plato arrived at his won that if we are indeed tobe virtuous we cannot depend on opinions rooted in perception. The senses willdeceive us and make us believe that the purely transitory world in the Real World

and therefore we must suppress the senses as much as possible. At first this willbe extremely difficult and like the prisoner in the cave, we will want to return tothe security of the familiar but before long we will come to realize the differencebetween the transitory world and the World of Ideas.

The position which advocates the use of reason or the intellect alone is usuallyreferred to by the technical name of rationalism.

In Platos opinion Idealism holds that only ideas are the truest form of reality. Inhis approach to finding answers to his questions, he sought to separate the worldof matter from the world of ideas. For him and his followers including Socrates,

dialectic observations to find the true meaning of points of view were bestexamined through open ended discussions and debates. It was his belief thatgiven enough time for discussion, those involved in the debate would eventuallymeet in a middle ground and that a bridge of understanding would eventuallysurface. Thus the respect for each others point of view would ultimately beshown. For the idealist, Plato served as the father for thought. All who followedin this field were influenced by his original quests to find the answers.

2. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century: Berkeley and HegelFrom this movement came the development of the modern idealistic views ofDescartes, Berkley, Kant, Hegel and Royce.

Rene Descartes

Modern idealism in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is largely defined by agroup of philosophers who were writing at the time. In his Discourse on Methodand Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes arrived at his Cartesian firstprincipal I think, therefore I am. Descartes decided that he could throw all


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things into doubt except that he was thinking and doubting. This supports theconcept of idealism because it emphasizes the centrality or importance of themind. Descartes, like Plato and Augustine divided his world into two areas. ForDescartes the two areas were the cogito and the Deity Descartes was a truedoubter. He attacked his thought processes by challenging the existence of

every idea including his own existence. The one truth that he proved was that indoubting everything he arrived at the consensus that even if one doubted everyissue the truth that couldnt be denied was that one was thinking. Thus hisfamous first principle: Cogito, ergo sum, I think, therefore I am. (p20) Berkeleychallenged that in order for there to be truth, the mind must acknowledge thattruth.

George Berkeley

Berkley, the author of Principles of Human Knowledge, stated that all existencedepends on some mind to know it; if no minds exist, then nothing exists unless it

is perceived by the mind of God. For Descartes a material world did not existindependent of the mind. His philosophical views were greatly influenced by hisreligious beliefs. In his view, there is no existence without perception. Howeverthings could be considered to exist in the sense that they were perceived by God.Berkeley has answered an important question on whether a tree falling in thewoods would make a sound if no one was around to hear it. His answer was no,if it was not perceived by God.

Berkeley is commonly considered the father of modern idealism. He argues thatwhat we experience does exist in a real physical sense, but only because itexists in the mind. A thing is the sum of our ideas of it. For example, an apple is

red, sweet, round, etc. The apple is nothing more or less than the sum of myideas of it. But what if I am not thinking about apples? What if I am thinking aboutroses, or books, or wine? Does that mean that apples don not exist during thetime my thoughts are focused elsewhere? Common sense would indicate theabsurdity of this position. If we held to the idea that a thing did not exist unlesswe were thinking of it we would too easily fall into a position philosophers callsolipsism. Solipsism ways that nothing has an existence beyond the individualsmind and what appears to have an existence is simply in the mind of thebeholder.

Berkeley carefully avoided the pitfalls of this variant of idealism and with it theproblem of things winking in and out of existence. Instead, he suggested thatideas exist n the mind of God as well as in our more finite minds, thus allowingfor the continuity of existence by making the universe the product of Godsthoughts. The great value in this form of idealism is that it allows for stability,complexity, and sophistication. Man may only be able to think or conceive of alimited number of dimensions; God can think of them all.

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Immanuel Kant

In writing his Critique of Pure Reason, and Critique of Practical Reason, Kant

tried to make sense of rationalism and empiricism within the idealist philosophy.In his system, individuals could have a valid knowledge of human experience thatwas established by the scientific laws of nature. This was in contrast toBerkeleys thinking that things are totally dependent on the mind. Kantsphilosophy of education involved some aspects of character education. Hebelieved in the importance of treating each person as an end and not as ameans. He thought that education should include training in discipline, culture,discretion, and moral training. Teaching children to think and an emphasis onduty toward self and others were also vital points in his philosophies. The desireto grow in ones understanding of being is supported through knowledge. Asseen with the Religious idealism movement when Augustine approached the idea

that learning comes from within and that a person is responsible for his learning.These ideas leadChristianity and religious movements having a great effect onthe development of the modern world of education and schools. To support theideas of Christianity essentially means to believe in the Idea of a super powerthat cannot be seen or touched.

His views were influenced by his strong religious beliefs. He held the existenceof God to be the Idea and without belief in God then things would not exist. Kantsupported the idea of human thought as his idealism. He held to the belief thatreal knowledge could be found though teaching a child to think both morally andethically.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Three of Hegels most famous books are Phenomenology of Mind, Logic, andPhilosophy of Right. In these readings, Hegel emphasizes three major aspects:logic, nature, and spirit. Hegel maintained that if his logical system were appliedaccurately, one would arrive at the Absolute Idea, which is similar to Platosunchanging ideas. Nature was considered to be the opposite of the Absoluteidea. Idea and nature together form the Absolute Spirit which is manifested byhistory, art, religion, and philosophy. Hegels idealism is in the search for finalAbsolute Spirit. Examining any one thing required examining or referring toanother thing. Hegels thinking is not as prominent as it once was because hissystem led to the glorification of the state at the expense of individuals. Hegelthought that to be truly educated an individual must pass through various stagesof the cultural evolution of mankind. Additionally he reasoned that it was possiblefor some individuals to know everything essential in the history of humanity. b.Georg Wilhelm Hegels position is an attempt to develop an all embracingphilosophical system in to which all events and things can be fit. Since the worldis not by any means in an Ideal state, Hegel reasoned it must be part of a


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dynamic process which moves toward the Ideal. Thus, for Hegel, the universe isone absolute, evolving spiritual unity. The world is in a dynamic state ofbecoming. Hegels position is generally referred to as objective or absoluteidealism.

Hegels political philosophy places its emphasis on the state. Man is short-lived,but the state is more permanent since it has an existence of its own. Thisglorification of the state, as well as the search for the Ideal State is also seen inthe works of Plato. But Plato and Hegel appear to have influenced GiovanniGentile, the Italian philosopher. It is from Hegel that the doctrine of the individualgaining importance only as he becomes a part of the state draws its strength

Josiah Royce.

Royces Ideas were best desired as plans of actions. It was his belief that thestrongest things for a person to develop is loyalty and to be of a high moral

character. He supported the idea that education should be more than just aliteral qualifying of information, that the moral lessons held high merit for creatinga good society

Many of Royces ideas coincide with those of Hegel. Royce conceived of ideasas purposes or plans of action. He considered purposes as incomplete withoutan external world, and the external world as meaningless unless it was thefulfillment of these purposes. Royce believed in the importance of developing asense of morals. This thought influences education that involves teaching aboutour purpose in life and how we become active participants in these purposes.

3. Twentieth Century: Giovanni Gentile

Gentile was appointed Italian Minister of Education by Mussolini on October 31,1922 and held that post until July 1, 1924. A trained philosopher who felt that thetrue basis of education for an entire nation which was rooted in a pattern ofphilosophical beliefs. Among the more important aspects of his educationalsystem were:

a. An emphasis on religion and nationalism is the elementary schools. This is acombination of the Idealist point of view that religion is one of the subjects thatcan lead to knowledge of the Ideal, and a very practical point of view which isconcerned with making the individual an extension of the state.

b. Stressing the classis in the secondary schools. The classics are viewed as thespiritual heritage of the past and as the proper intellectual training for children inan Idealist school.


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c. The view that the good of the individual is identical with the good of the state.Where there is conflict the individual must be sacrificed to the necessities of thestate.

d. The teacher as an intermediary. The teacher is seen as one who has made a

somewhat closer to the Ideal world than the student.

Philosophical Rationale of Idealism

Idealism is a philosophical approach that has as its central tenet that ideas arethe only true reality, the only thing worth knowing. In a search for truth, beauty,and justice that is enduring and everlasting, the focus is on conscious reasoningin the mind.

The Universe (Ontology or Metaphysics)

To the idealist, the nature of the universe is mind; it is an idea. The real nature ofthe position is idea-ism. For the idealist the universe has two aspects. The first isthe sensory aspect, that part of life open to empirical or sensory exploration andverification. This is a sham world; a world of illusion. This second aspect, theReal World, lies beyond the sensory world and can only be reached through theintellect. This is the World of Ideas.

The idealist traditionally turns away from nature in his speculation an bases hisphilosophical beliefs on the assertion that there are certain timeless truths aboutthe universe. These truths provide us with certainty, and it is always easier tobegin to think clearly and logically from a solid base of certainty. We can know

that the world operates in a reasonable way (although we may; never be able toquite fathom just what that reasonable way may be). For Hegel, for example,the order of the universe history is God thinking. More recent idealists havefocused on the self as a spiritual phenomenon.

Idealism as a philosophy presents an ontological framework compatible withreligion. Wherever order is externally imposed, wherever there is an Ideal, it is asimple step to bring in God an intermediary or intermediary class between God orthe Ideal and man. The intermediary class (whether prophet, teacher, or priest) iscomposed of those better able to understand or communicate with the Ideal.These intermediaries, in some societies, soon become a privileged class.Plato also believed that the soul is fully formed prior to birth and is perfect and at

one with the Universal Being. The birth process checks this perfection, soeducation requires bringing latent ideas (fully formed concepts) toconsciousness.

In Idealism, all of reality is reducible to one fundamental substance: spirit. (Youmay better understand the nature of spirit in this context if you think of it as thetotal absence of materiality.) Matter is not real; it is rather a notion, an abstraction


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of the mind. It is only the mind that is real. Therefore, all material things thatseem to be real are reducible to mind or spirit. The chair you are sitting on is notmaterial; it only seems material. Its essential nature is spirit. On the universallevel, finite minds live in a purposeful world produced by an infinite mind. It is asthough the entire universe is made up of an infinite mind or spirit; which is, in

effect, everything, and we are small bits and pieces of that mind. Because man isa part of this purposeful universe, he is an intelligent and purposeful being

Knowledge and Truth (Epistemology)

The idealist, once he accepts the ontological assumption of the existence of atranscendent reality, must ask whether or not it is possible to know and ot cometo grips with this realm. Most idealists, to a greater or lesser degree, accept thenotion that man may know the Ideal, at least in part.

The idealist take a rationalistic approach to the knotty problems of knowledge

and truth and relies heavily on deductive logic (the process of reasoning from thegeneral the more specific) Although some idealist thinkers have carefully deniedreliance on empirical or sense data, such data usually serve as the basis for thepremises of deductive logic.

The idealist attempts to find in the universe general principles which can be giventhe status of universal truths. In order to do this, it is necessary for the idealist toturn inward; to see, as it were, the ocean in a drop of water and the universe in agrain of sand. Most idealists will accept than notion that mans being andabsolute mind are qualitatively the same, but while we have all the attributes ofthe Absolute we are like the drop of water and the sea. Just as the drop of water

is not the whole ocean, man does reflect, albeit dimly, the Absolute, we can lookinward to see the true nature of reality. Idealists believe that all knowledge isindependent of sense experience. The act of knowing takes place within themind. The mind is active and contains innate capacities for organizing andsynthesizing the data derived through sensations. Man can know intuitively; thatis to say, he can apprehend immediately some truth without utilizing any of hissenses. Man can also know truth through the acts of reason by which anindividual examines the logical consistency of his ideas. Some Idealists believethat all knowledge is a matter of recall. Plato was one who held this notion. Hebased this conclusion upon the assumption that the spirit of man is eternal.Whatever he knows is already contained within his spirit. Objective Idealists,such as Plato, think that ideas are essences, which have an independentexistence. Subjective Idealists, such as George Berkeley, reason that man isable to know only what he perceives. His only knowledge is of his mental states.Existence depends upon mind. Every stimulus received by the mind is derivedultimately from God. God is the Infinite Spirit.


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Idealists assume, based on their ontological position, that Truth does exist. SinceTruth does exist and is not merely a creation of the individual or society but existsindependent of man or of mans knowledge of it, it can be found. And when, it isfound, it will absolute and binding.

For the idealist the search for truth is a major emphasis. Although for each theIdea of truth may have varied; the goal seems to be constant Idealists search tochallenge students to think and to learn from their schools of thought. For someidealists, the understanding of the challenges we face in our world today needonly be derived from discussions of classics, such as Moby Dick and the Bible,and the teaching of such classics to encourage critical thinking.

Values (Axiology)

1. What is Good (Ethics) - Idealists generally root all values either in a personalGod or in a personal spiritual force of nature. They all agree that values areeternal. Theistic Idealists assert that eternal values exist in God. Good and evil,beauty and ugliness are known to the extent that the idea of good and the idea ofbeauty are consistent with the absolute good and the absolute beauty found inGod. Pantheistic Idealists identify God with nature. Values are absolute andunchanging because they are a part of the determined order of nature

For the idealist the good life in living in harmony with the universe. If the Absoluteis viewed as the final and most ethical of all things and persons, or as God, who

is by definition perfect and it thus perfect in morals the idealists epitome ofethical conduct and morality will lie in the imitation of Absolute Self. Man is motmoral when his behavior is in accord wit the Ideal and Universal Moral Law whichwe can and do recognize. Even if we do not recognize it as individuals, there arein not societies those whose special function it is, either as teachers or asministers, to instruct, clarify, and inform us as to what behavior is in accord witthe Universal Moral Law. We must do right simply because it is right* It is indeeda lofty ideal of morality that suggests we do right simply to be more perfectly intune wit the universe.

2. Concept of beauty (Aesthetics) - idealist sees as beautiful theapproximation of the Ideal. That which in finite terms attempts to express theAbsolute is categorized as aesthetically pleasing. This would appear to leavelittle ground for creativity since there must be an absolute standard against whichall art can be measured. Again, we have the teachers and the ministers definingthat which as special intermediaries they recognize as closest to the nature of theAbsolute. Thus are art critics born.


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When we enjoy a work of art, say the idealists, it is because, on the one hand,we see it as a true representation of the Ideal; and on the other hand, it serves tobring us closer to contract wit the Ideal.

Music is considered by some idealists as the highest from of aesthetic creation

since it does not represent any thing in the phenomenal or existent world, butinstead cuts across it to the heart of the Absolute. The artist should, according tohis school for thought, attempt to idealize the world to us, that is , to present itsinner meaning rather than to portray it as it appears to the senses, to capture itsinner essence, its oneness with the Ideal.

Religious and Idealism

Religion and idealism have close ties. Judaism and Christianity were influencedby many of the Greek philosophers. Augustine, one of the great thinkers of theCatholic Church discussed the universe as being divided into the City of God and

The City of man. The city of God was governed by truth and goodness. The cityof man was governed by the senses. This parallels Platos scheme of the worldof ideas and the world of matter. Religious thinkers believed that man did notcreate knowledge, but discovered it. Augustine, like Plato did not believe thatone person could teach another. Instead, they must be led to understandingthrough skillful questioning. Religious idealists see individuals as creations ofGod who have souls and contain elements of godliness that need to bedeveloped.

SocietyPlato described a utopian society in which "education to body and soul all the

beauty and perfection of which they are capable" as an ideal.Plato believed in the importance of state involvement in education and in movingindividuals from concrete to abstract thinking. He believed that individualdifferences exist and that outstanding people should be rewarded for theirknowledge. With this thinking came the view that girls and boys should haveequal opportunities for education. In Platos society there were three socialclasses of education; workers, military personnel, and rulers. He believed that theruler or king would be a good person with much wisdom because it was onlyignorance that led to evil.

One of the major criticisms of idealism has been that it lacks an adequate socialpolicy. The ideal society is seen as a reflection of the ideal organization of theAbsolute. Society is like an organism in which each person (like the cells of theorganism) has a particular place and a particular role. When this point of view iscarried to its logical conclusion we find that it can be compatible with a totalitarianstate. This social theory would place society (or the state) over and above theindividual citizen and would make the individual good identical with the generalgood or the good of state. The individual then is placed in a position in which heis an instrument of the state and state and may be sacrificed to its needs.


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The idealist relies for much of his social view on the accumulate wisdom of thepast. Particularly that wisdom which is either symbolic of , or representative of,the Ideal. In genera, therefore, the idealist stresses an intellectual pattern forconservation of the cultural heritage. This is a conservative position, typical of

any system based on the belief that reality has a coercive order of its own andthat we must wait to progress until we have this order made clear to us.

In discussing the ideal social order, H.H.Horne has written:

There is an ideal social order for man. This ideal nowhere fully exists on theearth. But it haunts the imagination of man. It is real in the sense of subsistence,if not existence. It is real in the sense that perfect circles are real. This ideal orderconsists of all those values that social man should realize in the earth. Thepolitical state exists to help conserve and mediate those ideal values. Believingthat such an ideal is real an that man can realize it is a great stimulus to improve

actual conditions. Viewed in a large way, the mission of man is to make the idealactual. Human society is, or should be, interested in that type of education whichbrings these unchanging and eternal values into the changing and temporal livesof men.

The Idealist believes in a world of Mind (metaphysics) and in truth as Idea(epistemology). Furthermore, ethics is the imitation of the Absolute Self andaesthetics is the reflection of the Ideal. From this very general philosophicalposition, the Idealist would tend to view the Learner as a microscopic mind, theTeacher as a paradigmatic self, the Curriculum as the subject matter of symboland idea (emphasizing literature, history, etc.), the Teaching Method as

absorbing Ideas, and the Social Policy of the school as conserving the heritageof Western civilization

AIMS OF EDUCATIONThe purpose of education is to contribute to the development of the mind and selfof the learner. The education-imparting institute should emphasize intellectualactivities, moral judgments, aesthetic judgments, self-realization, individualfreedom, individual responsibility, and self-control in order to achieve thisdevelopment.

In an idealistic education system emphasis should be placed on developing themind, personal discipline, and character development. A person should beliterate and of good moral character

The aim of education is to brings the child as close to Absolute Truth as possible.All of the aims of the idealist as educator find their ground in the conception ofUltimate Reality and the students relation to this Reality.


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In idealism, the aim of education is to discover and develop each individual'sabilities and full moral excellence in order to better serve society

More specifically, the school can take a leading role in defining and refining ourknowledge of Truth an the Absolute. The school ha a responsibility to find and to

train future leaders. As will be seen, much of the curriculum for the idealist isbased on the study of earlier leaders. Certainly the distinguishing between andthe development of, leaders smacks of education for followership (orsubservience to the state) is found in the Gentile reforms instituted in Italy in the1920s.

The school, as one of the social institutions concerned with the Absolute mustmake judgments as to what is right and what is wrong; thus, one of the aim ofeducation would be to develop morality.

Another aim of education is the maintenance and transmission of the established

values of the past. Once we have established that something is good, or true, orbeautiful, it is a responsibility of the school to pass it one to succeedinggenerations.

The Concept of Student

There is much in idealism of the personality cult. As Horne has pointed out, Nocivilization or culture of a people surpasses that of its greatest leader.

The learner is a spiritual being in the process of becoming. His is a finitepersonality which, with prober molding and guidance, might more like the Ideal or

the Absolute. Man is, in a sense, a small representation of the Absolute Self. Thestudent must bring himself closer to the Absolute through imitation of theexemplar (the teacher) and through study of those subjects (the humanities)which best represent or symbolize the true ideas of which the human race hasknowledge.

The learner, if the is an idealist himself, or if the idealist philosophy can beinculcated into his being, tries to do the very best he can, striving constantlytoward perfection. Horne has described the Idealistic Pupil as follows:

The Idealistic pupil is characterized by that admirable trait, the will to perfection.Whatever he does as well as he can. He is ambitious to deserve honors inscholarship. He wants to grow in knowledge and wisdom, to appreciate theaesthetic things in life to deserve approbation, and to be a worthy person. Hestrives for perfection because the ideal person is perfect.

The Concept of Teacher


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Idealists have high expectations of the teacher. The teacher must be excellent, inorder to serve as an example for the student, both intellectually and morally. Noother single element in the school system is more important than the teacher.The teacher must excel in knowledge and in human insight into the needs andcapacities of the learners; and must demonstrate moral excellence in personal

conduct and convictions. The teacher must also exercise great creative skill inproviding opportunities for the learners' minds to discover, analyze, unify,synthesize and create applications of knowledge to life and behavior.

The idealist holds the role of the teacher to be that of an important position. Theteacher serves as a model for the student by teaching through example andguidance the lifelong habits of patience, tolerance and perseverance towards agoal. It is the teachers responsibility to encourage the students and to providethem with materials to encourage them to work to achieve higher goalsJust as personality is a major factor in the idealist view of the student, it plays amajor part in the idealist view of the teacher. The teacher is seen as having

perhaps the most important single role in the educative process. The teacherserves as a living ideal or model for the student and represents, to some degree,what the student can become.

The idealist teacher tries to be the right sort of person himself and to develop theright sort of personality in his pupils. The teacher should be close to the Absoluteand should be, in a very real sense, a co-worker with the Absolute in developingthe pupils capacities and guiding him closer to knowledge of the Ideal. Theteacher should be close to the Absolute in developing the pupils capacities andguiding closer to knowledge of the Ideal. The teacher should set an example thatthe student will follow. This is, of course , compatible with the notion that the real

world (the world of the senses) is a copy of the Absolute. Thus, the closer we areto come to the Absolute, the more we must model our behavior upon thosepersons that we know are paradigm cases.Since idealists believe in character development, they also believe that theteacher should be a role model for students to emulate. Teaching is considereda moral calling. The teachers role is to be a skillful questioner who encouragesstudents to think and ask more questions in an environment that is suitable forlearning

The curriculum

The important factor in education at any level for idealists is teaching children tothink. Teachers should help students to explore texts for ideas about thepurposes of life, family the nature of peer pressures, and the problems of growingup. Idealists believe that ideas can change lives and that classical literature canbe used and explored to help solve problems in todays world. Creativity will beencouraged when students immerse themselves in the creative thinking of othersand when they are encouraged to reflect


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The idealist curriculum which places a considerable emphasis on the study ofhistory and the reading of biographies. Both of these are evidently reflections ofthe Hegelian influence on American education. Certainly it is assumed by theidealists that through the study of the past, we can find appropriate truths aroundwhich to model our present behavior.

Along with history and biography, the idealist curriculum emphasizes the study ofthe humanities. Underlying the selection of materials is the concern for selectionof subject matter that deals wit ideal man and ideal society. Thus, we find theidealists strong in their belief that the proper study of mankind is man andinterpreting this to mean the history of the human race.

Books are the source of this subject matter, the subject matter of ideas. Tounderstand society and life we must study history. To understand man we muststudy literature and the humanities. The idealist wants to see the entire andabsolute pattern of life and, in order to do this, history and the humanities are the

most important subjects. The curriculum is based upon the idea or assumption ofthe spiritual nature of man. This idea in turn leads to an idea of the nature of thelarger units of family, community, state, earth; the universe, and infinity. Inpreserving the subject matter content, which is essential for the development ofthe individual mind, the curriculum must include those subjects essential for therealization of mental and moral development. These subjects provide one withculture, and they should be mandated for all pupils. Moreover, the subject mattershould be kept constant for all.

The idealist tradition of subject matter is basically literary and places its primaryemphasis on the subject matter of books, especially hose literary pieces

considered the masterworks of information about ideas. Because of the idealistsreliance on the world of the mind, their curriculum calls for little contact with theexperiential universe. The idealist educator has little place in his curriculum forfield trips and empirical or sensory data.

Instructional Methodology

Platos idealism suggested moving from opinion to true knowledge in the form ofcritical discussions, or the dialectic. All thinking begins with a thesis. Thedialectic looks at all points of view. At the end of the discussion, the ideas oropinions will begin to synthesize as they work closer to truth. Knowledge is aprocess of discovery that can be attained through skillful questioning Idealisteducation involves depth of learning, a holistic approach that involves teachingthe whole rather than its parts. The best method of learning for Plato was thedialectic, a process where ideas are put into battle against each other, with themost significant idea winning the battle. Knowledge was not important just forthe material needs that it met. Idealists would feel that much of the greatliterature of the past would be useful in the solving many of todays problems.The idealist is not concerned with turning out students with technical skills so


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much as having students with a broad view and understanding of the world inwhich they live. Idealism emphasizes the role of the teacher, a skillful questioner,who should be a model for the person we want children to become. While thelecture method is still important in an idealists education system, it is consideredmore of a way to convey information and to help students comprehend ideas.

Self realization and self education are very important in idealism. While teacherscannot always be present when learning occurs, they must attempt to stimulatestudents so that learning occurs even when they are not present. Project basedlearning is on example of a self directed learning activity where learning canoccur without a teachers presence

.As the curricular emphasis is subject matter of mind: literature, history,philosophy, and religion. Teaching methods focus on handling ideas throughlecture, discussion, and Socratic dialogue (a method of teaching that usesquestioning to help students discover and clarify knowledge). Introspection,intuition, insight, and whole-part logic are used to bring to consciousness the

forms or concepts which are latent in the mind. Character is developed throughimitating examples and heroes

The classroom structure and atmosphere should provide the learners withopportunities to think, and to apply the criteria of moral evaluation to concretewithin the context of the subjects. The teaching methods must encourage theacquisition of facts, as well as skill in reflecting on these facts. It is not sufficientto teach pupils how to think. It is very important that what pupils think about befactual; otherwise, they will simply compound their ignorance. Teaching methodsshould encourage learners to enlarge their horizons; stimulate reflective thinking;encourage personal moral choices; provide skills in logical thinking; provide

opportunities to apply knowledge to moral and social problems; stimulate interestin the subject content; and encourage learners to accept the values of humancivilization.

The methods preferred by the idealists are the logical outgrowth of theiracceptance of the doctrine of the primacy of ideas. If experience, as he haveseen, is an inferior of the primacy of ideas. If experience, as we have seen, is aninferior reflection of Reality, the only purpose experience has for the idealist is todistort the Truth. Since the Truth can be reached through the abstract activities ofthe mind, it is in these that method must lie.

Methodology, for the idealists then, consist for the most part of lectures,discussion, and imitation. Learning is an exercise in stretching the mind to itsfullest so that it can absorb and handle ideas. Imitation should be of someexemplary person or persons who by their behavior give evidence that they areclose to the nature of reality.

All three methods employed by the idealists are open to criticism. All rely onideas that are already know and allow little or no opportunity for the student to


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explore new ideas and new areas of interest. Because of this there is a tendencyto reinforce the cultural lag between education and the society.

Criticisms of Idealism

Idealism has been influential in education for a considerable amount of time. It isconsidered a conservative philosophy because of its emphasis in preservingcultural traditions. The strengths of idealism include encouraging thinking andcognition, promoting cultural learning, and providing for character development ofstudents. Teachers are considered valuable parts of the educational process whoshould strive to provide a comprehensive, systematic, and holistic approach tolearning that stresses self realization.

Science today has challenged idealism and brought about challenges to idealisticprinciples. Science is based on hypothesis and tentativeness, but idealismpromotes a finished and absolute universe waiting to be discovered. Idealism has

often been linked with traditional religion. The weakening of religion has led tothe weakening of idealism as a philosophy. Through Platos ruler kings, andAugustines emphasis on the monastic life, it has been said that idealism leads tointellectual elitism. In the past, education was considered important for the upperclasses of society, marking education as a luxury. Vocational and technicalstudies were considered good enough for the general public. Idealistic educationwas considered bookish and lacking relevance. It is argued that the characterdevelopment aspect of the philosophy involved conformity and subservience onthe part of the learner. This type of character development was considered tostifle creativity and self direction, making students gullible and ready to acceptideas without serious examination.

The emphasis on the importance of knowledge and ideas in the idealistphilosophy originally led me to believe that much of my philosophy of educationincluded idealistic tendencies. James Madisons quote that knowledge is power,which sits front and center on my class webpage, seems to agree with thispremise. Because I believe strongly in project based education as a way to havestudents discover and learn new information, I also began to view the idealism inmy thinking. However, as much as I value these things and continue to believe inthe importance of continually gaining knowledge, the fact that I view science andtechnology as a valued part of all education, sets me apart from the philosophy.While the idealist considered science and technical studies good enough for thegeneral public, I consider them an integral part of any education. However I dobelieve in the importance of teaching children to think, for not doing so results inchildren with book learning and no common sense.

Critics of the idealist philosophy of education have been vocal and consistent,and there is, indeed, no lack of arguments opposing the position bothphilosophically and educationally. Here then are sex of the most commoncriticisms of this philosophical school.


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1. Sets Unobtainable Goals

For the educator who is concerned with having the child reach out and grasp the

Ideal there are two significant problems. First, if perfection is unreachable there isvery little desire on the part of most to become perfect. For the idealist studentthe goals are often too far away. Second, the idealists have set up a final goal: toknow the Ideal and become part of it. This implies a finite tend and as suchmeans that we have a final end in view. It argues strongly against those who takethe point of view that man is infinitely perfectible.

2. Ignores the Physical Self

The body cannot be ignored. If we try to ignore the body it soon intrudes itself

upon us. We do, whether we like the idea or not, react to and fake into our mindan deal with, on the intellectual level, such question as whether or not we are hot,cold, hungry, tired, happy, or sad. We will often give our greatest thought tochanging or modifying our physical realm, particularly where we are trying toavoid discomfort. In the classroom the teacher who would forget that the studenthas a body as well as a mind will soon be faced with discipline problem asyouthful spirits react to bodily demands. Thus, to try to separate mental activityfrom the physical and to try to place Ideas in a realm unrelated to the existentworld becomes nothing more than an exercise in futility.

3. Deemphasizes Experience

Many ideas cannot have meaning apart from experience. The ideas of heat andcold are not simply logical constructs, but ways of describing certain sensationsfound only in experience. This is not meant to imply that all things must be rootedin experience. If this were true, we would have great difficulty in dealing with thestudy of sub-atomic particles, and the whole field of mathematics might well becalled into question. But, most ideas do find their roots in experience, and todeny the validity of this experience is to make the universe sterile.

4. Leads to Totalitarianism

Some of the critiques of idealism is that is discourages the progress of scienceand our modern discovery. It also serves as somewhat of an elitist view in thatalthough the classics have merit for use in the classroom, they are notnecessarily the choice for all students. To only concentrate on the classicwritings is to waste a vast amount of wonderful knowledge that has been gainedthrough contemporary writings and art. Further more; creating a society inwhich students are taught to be docile and accept without challenging those


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areas held to be absolute could essentially be creating an environment in whichstudents are subservient and quick to confirm

The whole doctrine of idealism may lead to a rigid and often totalitarian socialorder. It may become the very antithesis of Democracy since it argues that the

best equipped for leadership are those who are closest to the Ideal. Plato, in theRepublic, sets up a perfect society in which the leaders are the Philosopher-Kings; of the Ideal. Gentile, in twentieth century Italy, provides another exampleof the dangers of what can happen when the social theory inherent in theidealistic philosophy is put into practice in the ruling of nations.

5. Emphasizes Humanities

The idealist philosopher demands that all must conform to the laws which are theimmutable working of the Ideal. There is, in idealism, the assumption of auniversal morality which will lead to the perfect moral and ethical order. Since

much, if not all, of this has an optimistic, humanities oriented outlook, it may leadto a rejection of the whole concept of a technological society which ismechanistic and scientifically oriented.

6. Overlooks possibility of Error

Perhaps the greatest failing of any philosophical system is that it fails to take intoaccount the possibility that it may be in error. This is especially true of idealismsince its truth is immutable and unchanging. Even were the Ideal to change, aslong as the notion of the Ideal is accepted as such then idealism has built into itits own verification.

One final comment seems called for before moving on to the next philosophical educational system. Idealism, like many other systems, is dependent at anygiven time for its definition of truth upon certain spokesmen who would seen tobe better able to know the Ideal. This can often lead to conflict as to the Truth ofone world system as opposed to another. The whimsical sight of two idealistscholars standing off and yelling at each other, My Truth is right, your truth iswrong, is tempered somewhat by the picture of two hydrogen bomb holdingdespots standing off and yelling the same thing at each other.


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References

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Husn and T. Neville Postlethwaite. Oxford: Pergamon Press. BLAKE, NIGEL; SMEYERS, PAUL; SMITH, RICHARD; and STANDISH,

PAUL, eds. 2002. Blackwell Guide to Philosophy of Education. Boston:Blackwell.

BURBULES, NICHOLAS C. 2000. "Philosophy of Education." InRoutledge International Companion to Education, ed. Bob Moon, MiriamBen-Peretz, and Sally Brown. New York: Routledge.

CHAMBLISS, J. J. 1996. "History of Philosophy of Education." InPhilosophy of Education: An Encyclopedia, ed. J. J. Chambliss. New York:Garland.

EDEL, ABRAHAM. 1972. "Analytic Philosophy of Education at the Cross-

Roads." Educational Theory 22:131152. KAMINSKY, JAMES S. 1993. A New History of Educational Philosophy.

Westport, CT: Greenwood.

MALONEY, KAREN E. 1985. "Philosophy of Education: Definitions of theField, 19421982." Educational Studies 16:235258.

NODDINGS, NEL. 1995. Philosophy of Education. Boulder, CO:Westview.

ANDERSON, R. N., et al. 1968. Foundation Disciplines and the Study ofEducation. Toronto: Macmillan.

ARCHAMBAULT, REGINALD D., ed. 1965. Philosophical Analysis andEducation. New York: Humanities Press.

FRANKENA, WILLIAM K., ed. 1965. Philosophy of Education. New York:Macmillan.

JARRET, JAMES L., ed. 1969. Philosophy for the Study of Education.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

LUCAS, CHRISTOPHER J. 1969. What Is Philosophy of Education? NewYork: Macmillan.

MORRIS, VAN CLEVE. 1969. Modern Movements in EducationalPhilosophy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

O'CONNOR, DANIEL JOHN. 1957. Introduction to the Philosophy ofEducation. London: Routledge.

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