Preview

idealism and realism

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
523 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
idealism and realism
Differences Between Idealism & Realism in the Philosophy of Education
By Hobie Anthony, eHow Contributor , last updated April 27, 2014

Realism and Idealism are two competing philosophies in the field of education. Dating back to ancient Greece, these theories influence the philosophy of education to this day.

Idealism

Idealism is the school of educational thought promoted by Plato in 400 B.C. Plato thought that humans could be improved from within, by correcting their thoughts and discovering knowledge already there since birth. Idealism focuses on reasoning and how a person can bring knowledge up from inside of himself. In this view, the world exists solely in the minds of people and that ultimate truth relies on a consistency of ideas. The more perfect our ideas become, therefore, the better we can serve the world. In Emmanuel Kant's idealism, the world exists, but our minds are separate from it.
Realism

Realism is the school of educational thought promoted by Plato's student, Aristotle. Realism holds that the only reality is the material world, that study of the outer world is the only reliable way to find truth; the world is an objective phenomenon that our minds must adhere to. We achieve greater and greater knowledge through proper study of the world. In Realism, a person is an empty vessel for knowledge, which can only come from outside of the self, through observation. This philosophy was the progenitor of the scientific method, a system of inquiry relying on objective facts.

Educational Implications of Idealism
By Douglas Baer, eHow Contributor , last updated May 08, 2014

Metaphysics is one of the branches of philosophy that wrestles with the question of reality in the known and the unknown worlds. An idealist finds reality in the unknown world through ideas in his mind; a realist finds reality in the known world through his senses. You can reach a better understanding of idealism by contrasting idealism with realism.

Two Different Philosophical

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    LOJCA’s school pledge states with “God as a guide, knowledge as stride, and confidence as pride, the students are destine to achiever in society”. According to Leo Nora Cohen of OSU School of Education, Idealism is “to discover and develop each individual's abilities and full moral excellence in order to better serve society”. (Cohen) LOJCA also teaches and involves students in civic responsibility and duty that educates them with superior leadership skills, team building ethics and capabilities enabling them to make an impact wherever they go. In Idealism “the main emphasis is subject matter of mind: literature, history, philosophy, and religion. Teaching methods focused on handling ideas through lecture, discussion, and Socratic dialogue (a method of teaching that uses questioning 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”.…

    • 2013 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Idealism is a philosophy that espouses the refined wisdom of men and women. Reality is seen as a world within a person's mind. Truth is to be found in the consistency of ideas. Goodness is an ideal state, something to be strived for. Idealism would favor schools teaching subjects of the mind, such as is found in most public school classrooms. Teachers, for the idealist, would be models of ideal behavior. For idealists, the schools' function is to sharpen intellectual processes, to present the wisdom of the ages, and to present models of behavior that are exemplary. Students in such schools would have a somewhat passive role, receiving and memorizing the reporting of the teacher. Change in the school program would generally be considered an intrusion on the orderly process of educating (http://gradcourses.rio.edu/leaders/philosophies.htm).…

    • 258 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Study Guide 7

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of reality. Since it deals with literally everything that exists, it is perhaps the broadest branch of philosophy. However, we will briefly spend time in this area. In this lesson, we will introduce some of the questions that we seek to answer in metaphysics as well as some basic metaphysical terminology you will need to master as we discuss metaphysical issues. We will also discuss the issue of method in arriving at answers to our metaphysical questions.…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most important aspect of learners is intellect. Idealists concentrate on the mental development of the learner.…

    • 3476 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Metaphysics is the study of understanding what is real. There are many subcategories found within metaphysics, from the nature of human beings to the reality of truth. Francisco Suarez argued that metaphysics is the study of not just being, but _real_ being. He also posed that there is an overarching, abstract concept of being that applies to all beings. There is no difference in "Peter being and being Peter" (Kenny 637). All of this falls into the category of metaphysics. What is the world comprised of? Is this world that we can see, taste, touch and smell even real? There are arguments against the study of metaphysics. They contend that actual metaphysical knowledge cannot be gained. The two main arguments against metaphysics are Kant 's "Copernican Revolution" and logical positivism.…

    • 2086 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Metaphysics is defined as “The study or theory of reality; sometimes used more narrowly to refer to transcendent reality, that is, reality which lies beyond the physical world and cannot therefore be grasped by means of the senses.” It simply asks what is the nature of being? Metaphysics helps us to reach beyond nature as we see it, and to discover the `true nature' of things, their ultimate reason for existing.…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Idealism describes the belief or pursuit of a perfect vision often based upon unrealistic principles. This pursuit is often contrasted and opposed by truth. The truth and reality in an individual’s life is what enables this person to remain grounded and down to earth. An individual must set themselves high expectations in order to be their best, but they must also acknowledge the fact that everything they desire is not achievable. The imbalance of idealism and truth in an individual’s life can have calamitous effects. It is significant in an individual’s life because it can lead to the deterioration of an individual’s sanity, destruction of family relationships and ultimately death. This is exemplified in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, by Willy Loman. Willy spends his whole life pursuing the American Dream. This pursuit leaves him in debt and lacking less than a sliver of sanity. This man lacks the capacity to face the truth; the reality of his situation. The negative effect that his dream has on his family and life is simply overlooked and ignored. As Willy’s life swerves out of control, he tumbles deeper into the abyss of his idealism, to a point of no return.…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Idealism: in metaphysics, the position that reality is ultimately non matter; in EPISTEMOLOGY, the position that all we know is our ideas.…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Metaphysics is the “ultimate reality” the leader has set. This is the way in which the leader perceives the world and the goal they set to achieve within this perception. Although the leader possesses an “ultimate reality”, these realities are not always achievable.…

    • 3542 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Personal Philosophy Paper

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There are five educational philosophies. They are perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism. Wiles stated, "Perennialists believe education is a constant due to a human’s ability to reason, therefore education needs to focus on developing rationality. Perennialists believe education is a preparation for life, and students should be taught the world’s permanencies through structured study. Idealism is a philosophy that espouses the refined wisdom of men and women. Idealists favor schools that teach subjects of the mind, such as are found in…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Simply defined by Washington State University Online, as a faithful representation of reality. Realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools of writing (Howells-Campbell). Realism is a technique. It denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially the depiction and representation of middle-class life. A rage against romanticism, a shift in a readers interest in scientific method, the study of documentary history, and the influence of rational philosophy, these were all affected by the rise of realism. Some have suggested that there is no clear distinction between realism and its related late nineteenth-century movement, naturalism.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Assess Idealism

    • 718 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Idealism is an anti-realist theory of perception which suggests that all objects exist mind-dependently. I will take an indirect realist standpoint and will be arguing against the theory of idealism.…

    • 718 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The world that we know today has come a long way since the 1900’s. If we think about the number of philosophers and psychologists that have made discoveries and hypothesis about the things around them in connection with their ideals, principals and values, we can all clearly explain that the world is ever changing as a result of holistic approaches and expression of intelligence. With this being said, it is with certainty that I believe in the idealism philosophy.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Idealism has long been debated throughout time in all cultures. To some cultures, there may be an ideal form of love or even an ideal form of a human being with correct morals and values for said culture. In ancient literature, the concept of idealism has long been used when it comes to the development of their characters.…

    • 1619 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Realism can be defined as a philosophical position that asserts the existence of an objective order of reality and the possibility of human beings gaining knowledge about this reality. Many teachers support the philosophy of realism and it is seen that the realist curriculum is highly valued in the field of present educational system. Realism believes that in order to teach students effectively, an overall curriculum is of utmost importance. According to Gutek, the Realism’s educational goals involve cultivation of human rationality thorough the organized bodies of knowledge and should frame their choices rationally and should be encouraged to define themselves accordingly.…

    • 526 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays