Idealism in Epistemology and Theories of Idealism - Essay Example

Epistemology Epistemology when defined closely it is the learning of knowledge and justified belief. It raises a few questions; what are the essential and adequate states of knowledge? How are they evolved? What is the formation and what are the limits associated with it? Epistemology is concerned regarding the problems involved in the formation and distribution of knowledge in specific parts of the inquisition. There are many different types of knowledge; having knowledge regarding a specific person, having knowledge regarding how to do a specific thing and having knowledge about a city or a particular area. While discussing about justification one needs to tell between two diverse problems; first what is an individual indicating when they use the word justification? Secondly how are beliefs justified? It is very essential to be able to keep these issues apart from one another as each person will have a different approach to the term justification. (Steup) Idealism in Epistemology Idealism refers to the epistemological principle that states that ideas and judgment are what make up the primary reality. This can be whichever philosophy which states that the single thing that can be in fact be classified as knowledge is the elements of consciousness. One can never be too certain that any sort of substance does really subsist in the outside world. There the only things that one can be certain about are mental consciousness and not about tangible things. Idealism can also be referred to as a religious point of view. (The Basics of Philosophy) The term idealism can also be used to explain an individual’s excellent ideas, however at times those ideas can be considered to be impractical and irrational. It is a tag which includes an amount of philosophical positions with very diverse propensities and involvements for example subjective idealism and absolute idealism. (The Basics of Philosophy) Theories of Idealism Different idealists have a different perception regarding how substance is dependent on the consciousness. Therefore there are many diverse types of idealism. Subjective idealism is mainly simple and it can be said that this type of idealism is the most popular type of idealism. These idealists believe that substance is formed from the rational elements of the mind which examines it. For example the feeling spectators have when going through a number of sensations is all that there actually is to those sensations. Subjective idealism might look a bit odd although there is existence of definite reasoning behind it. (Sharlow) Absolute idealism is the belief that the reality of tangible things rely on one fundamental psychological reality and not on the psychological elements of each person as an observer. These idealists believe that there is only one fundamental mental or holy object or standard whose psychological action and element strengthens the continuation of the tangible world. Pluralistic idealism is a belief that numerous individual minds exist and jointly they motivate the subsistence of the world. They believe that persons mind is the main foundation of reality. (Sharlow) Roots of Idealism The term idealism was first coined by Leibniz (1646-1716), he used this term to while talking about the philosophy of Plato. However in the history this term normally signifies a time period from the end of the 1700s till the initial years of the next century. In actuality idealism has a much wider historical scale. (Salucci) Knowing the fact that the German idealist theory by theorists Hegel, Fichte and Schelling possibly shows how reliable the theories of idealism are. This sort of a philosophical existence cannot be limited to a specific timeframe because it includes a gnoseological point of view so even though it has many different significances it covers the whole history of western philosophy. (Salucci) Main Contributors and their Theories: Platonic Idealism Plato was a Greek philosopher. He began as a student of Socrates and was inspired by him. Plato believed that people need to denote themselves to finding the meaning of truth solely; this cannot be done in the world of substance as it is defective and frequently subject to changes. He further believed that if two individual are given enough time to discuss their points they would sooner or later be near to agreeing thus will be nearer to finding the truth. All the philosophers who came after Plato were inspired by his work, in spite of whether the accepted his basic point of view or not. (Ozmon & Craver, 8) Religious Idealism The pioneers of the Roman Catholic Church were greatly inspired by idealism. Aurelius Augustinus became a priest in 391. He linked the ideas of Platonists and Neoplatonists. He was very apprehensive of the idea of evil; he believed that since every person has innate Adam’s sin it is a constant fight to have the same kind of clarity he had before. He referred to the world as two different worlds; one The World of God and second the World of Man. (Ozmon & Craver, 11) Modern Idealism Born and brought up in Ireland, George Berkeley worked at the Episcopal Church as a minister. During his younger years he came up with many of his modern thoughts, wrote many pieces regarding philosophy for example “Principles of Human Knowledge”. He believed that the entire existence relies on the existence of human mind, if human mind did not subsist then for any kind of target nothing will subsist. His philosophical point of view is highly accustomed to his religious point of view. (Ozmon & Craver, 14) Realism VS Idealism Idealism and Realism are two different concepts. Idealists believe that the world and everything that it consists is made up by individuals’ minds. The realists oppose this statement. They give a simple scenario where a time bomb is fixed with a man; they ask what a person will do in such situation. An idealist would say that this situation is solely imaginary. The dispute here is involving two different ideas. Realists blame the idealists that they are supercilious and presume that actuality is created in one’s mind. (Dogra) References Dogra, Aastha. "Idealism Vs. Realism." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 23 May 2014. . Ozmon, Howard, and Samuel M. Craver. "Idealism and Education." Philosophical foundations of education. 9th ed. Columbus: Merrill Pub. Co., 2012. 8, 11, 14. Print. Philosophy, The Basics of . "Idealism - By Branch / Doctrine - The Basics of Philosophy." Idealism - By Branch / Doctrine - The Basics of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. . Salucci, Alessandro . "Idealism." Inters.org |. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014. . Sharlow, Mark F.. "Metaphysical Idealism." Metaphysical Idealism. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014. . Steup, Matthias. "Epistemology." Stanford University. Stanford University, 14 Dec. 2005. Web. 23 May 2014. . Read More