Development of Idealism
One leading thinker of ancient Greece was Socrates (469-399 B.C.E), who challenged the material concerns of his contemporaries. Socrates went about Athens questioning the citizens, particularly the Sophists, about their “unexamined” way of life. Socrates saw himself as a kind of a gadfly who prodded people into thinking. He was later brought to trial in Athens and was executive for his beliefs. Although Socrates’ ideas were only transmitted orally through a dialectical question-and- answer approach, Plato wrote them down and detailed both the Socratic method and Socrates’ thinking”(Ozman 6).
It has been debated whether Plato added to these dialogues because he wrote those many years after they occurred. The general view is that Plato added a great deal and put the dialogues in a literary form that has had enduring value”(Ozman 6).
Platonic Idealism
Plato was a Greek philosopher who started as a disciple of Socrates and remained an ardent admirer of him throughout his life. Plato is largely known for his writings in which Socrates is the protagonist in a series of dialogues dealing with most every conceivable topic. Two of the most famous topics are the Republic and Laws. After Socrates’ death, Plato opened his own school, the Academy, where students and professors engage in a dialectical approach to problems”(Ozman 7).
According to Plato, people should primary concern themselves with the truth. Because truth is the perfect and eternal, it cannot be found in the world of matte, which is imperfect and constantly changing. Mathematics demonstrates that eternal truths are possible. Such concepts as 2+2=4 or that all points of a perfect circle are equidistant from the center have been true (even before people discovered them), are true, and always will be true. Mathematics shows that universal truths with which everyone can agree may be found, but mathematics constitutes only one field of knowledge. Plato believed that we must search for other universal truths in such as politics, society, and education; hence the search for truth should be the quest for all philosophers.
In the Republic, Plato wrote about the separation of the world of ideas from the world of matter. The world of ideas (or forums) has the Good at its highest point-the source of all true knowledge. The world of matter, the ever-changing world of sensory data, is not to be trusted. People need, as much as possible, to free themselves from a concern with matter so that they can advance toward the Good. This can be done through transcending matter through the use of dialectic (or critical discussion), in which one moves from mere opinion to true knowledge.
Idealism and Education
In the Republic, Plato proposed the kind of education that would bring about a world in which individuals and society are moved as far as they are capable of moving toward the Good. He understood fully that most people do believe in matter as an objective reality, that individual differences exist, and that injustice inhumanity are ways of life. But he wished to create a world in which outstanding people, such as Socrates, could serve as models and would be rewarded instead of punished. Plato suggested that the state must take an active role in educational concerns and offer a curriculum that leads intelligent students from concrete data toward abstract thinking”(Ozman 19).
It is interesting to know that Plato thought that boys and girls should be given an equal opportunity to develop themselves to the fullest, but those that show little ability to abstractions would go into pursuits that would assist in the practical aspects of running a society. And those who demonstrated proficiency in the dialectic would continue their education and become philosophers in the position of power to lead the state toward the highest Good. Plato believed that until philosophers were the rulers, states would never pursue the highest ideals of truth and justice.
Plato’s idea was that the philosopher-king must not be only a thinker but also a doer. He must supervise the affairs of the state, and like the philosopher who made his way out of the cave and yet returned to teach others, he must see that his wisdom pervades every aspect of state life”(Ozman 20.
CRITIC OF IDEALISM IN EDUCATION
Idealism is often considered a conservative philosophy of education because much of its thrust is to preserve the cultural traditions. This is borne out of by an examination of idealists’ concern for perennial and ultimate thrusts and their notion that education is largely a notion of passing on the cultural heritage”(Ozman 29). Many adherents point to the strengths of idealism, such as the following:
- The high cognitive level of education that idealist promote.
- Their concern for safeguard and promoting cultural learning.
- Their great concern for morality and character development.
- Their view of the teacher as a revered person central to the educational process.
- Their stress on the importance of self-realization.
- Their stress on the human and personal side of life.
- Their comprehensive, systematic, and holistic approach.
Historically, the influence of idealism on education been so strong that even today it is hard to find schools that do not in some way reflect idealist principles. Although idealism’s has influence has suffered in recent decades, no other philosophy has affected the educational system for so long”(Ozman 30).
Reference:
Ozmon, H. A. (2007). Philosophical Foundations of Education: Educational Foundation. Retrieved June 06, 2008, from coursesmart.com Website: http://instructors.coursesmart.com/9780137132003/toc01
