Idealism and Its Struggles to Exist

1740 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: French revolution philosophy

Idealism is difficult to practice in an everyday setting; it is especially hard in a political sense. This paper will discuss several aspects of idealism and its struggles to exist.
Introduction
Idealism is the attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standards of behavior [Def. 1]. (n.d.). What does that mean exactly? Idealism is the belief of perfection, living by standards or ideals. Idealists believe that the world is a perfect place and that life is fair for everyone. But the commonly known phrase “life isn’t fair so get used to it” ~Bill Gates tells the truth, that life isn’t perfect or fair no matter how hard anyone tries to make it that way. Idealism in politics is not trying to make the government itself perfect, but to make the policies of government efficient.
History
In 1789 the French Revolution began. The revolution caused subjects such as science and philosophy to increase. Due to the increase of philosophy idealist such as Gottfreid Leibniz, John Locke, and George Berkeley were able to get people to listen to their ideas and try to follow their ideas through. If the revolution and the increase of learning none of the previously mentioned idealists would have been able to get their ideas across and no one would have tried to execute them.
Idealists in History
Idealism comes from the Greek word ιδέα (idea). Plato was the first known realist and takes the title of father of idealism (William, 1999). Plato was a Greek Philosopher. Plato was a student of Socrates and he taught Aristotle. Plato studied political philosophy, cosmology, theology, and the philosophy of language (Plato, 2014). Plato made idea a technical term in philosophy. According to Plato the visible world...

... middle of paper ...

... of Britannica
Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com
Idealism [Def. 1]. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online. In Merriam-Webster.
Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary
Dennis Diderot ( Niklaus, 2014) Encyclopedia of Britannica
Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com
(Plato,2014). The Biography Channel website
Retrieved from http://www.biography.com

Transcendental [Def. 2]. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online. In Merriam-Webster.
Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

(William, 1999) Idealism history of philosophy
Retrieved from http://www.history-of-philosophy.com
Graham A.J. Rogers (Rogers, 2014)
Retrieved from http://www.Britannica.com
Steven Kreis ( Kreis, 2008) Karl Marx
Retrieved from http://www.historyguide.org
Luke Mastin (Mastin, 2008) Idealism
Retrieved from http://philosophybasics.com

Show More
Related

  • Arthur's Unrealism: Monty Python, Gawain and the Green Knight, and the Destruction of

    4237 Words  | 9 Pages

    It may be that ideals are necessary for humanity. Without idealized images, codes of behavior, even idealized objects, mankind would have difficulty functioning. There would be a lack of context or criteria with which to judge objects that may be termed less than ideal. However, the problem with idealized images is that they can never be described fully, and certainly never attained. An example is the contemporary ideal of feminine beauty, which has led to countless problems such as depression and psychological dietary disorders among women who perceive themselves to be "inadequate." The more culturally emphasized an ideal is, the more ordinary people are made to feel inadequate.

    Read More

  • Idealism and Truth in an Individual’s Life.

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many ideas about the way things are suppose to be, they guide people in the way humans approach life and how people go about achieving our goals. Unfortunately people do not always accomplish these ideas they have for ourselves but the truth often times is what we really need. In the Shakespearean drama, Macbeth, he writes of a once cherished leader, Macbeth who is approached by supernatural being and acts out erratically to fulfill what prophesies he desires which lead to his eventual demise. Macbeth has difficulty perceiving idealism from the truth, in other words what he thinks should happen and what actually happens. The prophecies are the catalyst for his irrational thinking and from then on Macbeth becomes addicted to knowing what his future could be and taking it to the extreme of needing to create it then and there. Down this path he also has his wife Lady Macbeth who pushes him further to act on these prophecies to achieve the ultimate goal of the crown. She too has an obsession with doing whatever it takes to be Queen and have that authority to her name. These two characters take to the extreme what it means to need truth but desire their idealism and how this leads to their eventual demise.

    Read More

  • Ideals And Truths In Frank Jones's 'Wish You Were Here'

    351 Words  | 1 Pages

    What are ideals and truths; Ideals and truths are two similar, yet different things. Ideal are something you want, while truths are the reality and what you actually have. The story “Wish you were here” by Frank Jones presents great examples of ideals and truths. The photo taken by Elliott Erwitt shows an example of ideals and truths because of the idea it gives the viewer about relationships.

    Read More

  • Dualism Vs Metaphysical Monism

    234 Words  | 1 Pages

    The first type Metaphysical materialism is a type of monism that claims that reality is totally physical. The second type idealism is a type of monism that claims that reality is entirely mental or religious. On page 56 I read that both argue a dualism that posits both mind and matter as equally really will never be able to explain how these two very different types of reality could ever fit together into one unified universe. They cannot work together.

    Read More

  • Idealism and truth within an individuals life

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Truth and idealism can lead individuals onto an enlightened path, however, with questionable ideals an individuals life can be persuaded inaccurately. In the Shakespearean Drama, Macbeth, the main characters experience misguidance from their own mislead ideals, which created significant disorder among themselves and the country of Scotland. Ambition combined with the unrighteous forces of Macbeth and Lady led them predominantly to deadly consequences. Macbeth and his wife are engrossed by the witches prophecies which directed them both to irrational thinking and absurd actions. These actions defined both characters throughout the play and impacted their demise tremendously. The ideals of the powerful couple, along with their overbearing ambition, lead their reality into an unconscionable future and their eventual death.

    Read More

  • Essay on Loss of Freedom in The Giver

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    an ideal society, in which everything is supposed to be perfect, with all life’s problems solved.  It is

    Read More

  • Marcus Brutus and Idealism

    370 Words  | 1 Pages

    To begin with, idealism is the concept of acting according to what you percieve as

    Read More

  • Utopia by Thomas More and The Prince by Machiavelli

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    however, differ considerably. The goal of Utopia is to illustrate the maintenance of an “ideal”

    Read More

  • Early and Mid 19th Century Thought

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Romantics' stress on the inner person also found expression in the school of German philosophy called idealism. Idealists held that the world is not something objective that exists independently of individual consciousness.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Dbq

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 17th and 18th century the Enlightenment period had multiple philosophers such as (Locke, Voltaire, Smith, and Wollstonecraft) that studied and fought for what they believed in. Those ideas will soon change the way people view their government and participate in the judicial system. When the Age of Reason was introduced, there was a lot of conflict between what was factual and what was inaccurate. The philosophers main ideas were to influence the common public. Each philosopher wanted to alter mankind's view on religion, nature, humanity, and society.

    Read More

  • Monism vs Dualism

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another form of monism is called idealism. Idealism is a form of monism that proposes the idea that everything is based on the mind or mentality of a person and nothing exists outside of our mind. “The theory is that all that exists is the product of minds or ideas, that physical objects have no existence outside of the mind t...

    Read More

  • Idealism and Realism

    1783 Words  | 4 Pages

    “In the place where idealism and realism meet, that is where there is the greatest evolutionary tension.” Idealism prioritizes ideals, social reforms and morals, by wanting to benefit not just yourself, but the world around you, believing people are generally good. On the contrary, realism gives priority to national interest and security with emphasis on promoting one’s own power and influence by assuming that people are egocentric by nature. Based on the definitions stated above, idealism and realism are significantly different from each other and their divergence of thought is more apparent when various proponents of each such as Woodrow Wilson, Henry Lodge, Barack Obama and George W. Bush have varied outlooks on comparable issues in politics. Subsequently, an idealist’s reaction to a particular issue would be a lot different than a realist’s response. Therefore, idealism deals with normative ideas and allows for improvements in the progress of not only a single state, but the whole world, however realism solely focuses on the benefits of one’s own nation.

    Read More

  • Idealism In Othello Research Paper

    251 Words  | 1 Pages

    idealism is the group of philosophies which assert the reality, basically mental, mentally constructed, or irrelevant. Base on the study, idealism display or show as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing. In a sociological sense, idealism focus on how human ideas, beliefs and values in the society. Idealism goes further, asserting that all creature are composed in mind or spirit.

    Read More

  • The Age of Enlightenment or Age of Reason Analysis

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...y that states that only the mind, its contents and its perceptions and ideas exist. Berkeley explained that subjective idealism rejects the idea of materialism or dualism and that anything materialistic is independent of its own reality but just a perception of the mind. He further explained his theory by stating that “to be is to be perceived” which essentially meant that objects such as pens or papers only exist when we, humans, perceive their existence. George Berkeley’s philosophy of subjective idealism played a significant role in understanding the human mind during the 18th century.

    Read More

  • Ideology Definition

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    “An ideology is a set of conscious and unconscious ideas that constitute one’s goals, expectations, and actions.” Today term ideology is used in many ways, which sometimes it is difficult to describe. Based on dictionary, an ideology is the body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of a(n) individual, group, class, or culture.

    Read More

More about Idealism and Its Struggles to Exist

Open Document