IDEALISM & EDUCATION

Philosophers, according to their beliefs, points of view and methods of approach, group themselves under many schools of philosophy, the three most important being Idealists, Naturalists and Pragmatists. There are three fundamental things in life:

1. Mind or the Self. 2. Matter or the physical world. 3. Experience.

A thinker who idolizes 'Mind and Self’ is an idealist. One who emphasizes reality, matter and the physical world is called a Naturalist. One who refuses to speculate and transcend be experience is called Pragmatist ; activity and experience is the central theme of pragmatism. Each one of these schools of philosophy analyses and interprets the different aspects of education in its on specialized way. In the following pages  we shall differentiate the three schools of philosophy and see how they influence the theory and practice of education.

 What is Idealism

Man has two facets-spiritual and material. When the emphasis is on the realization of spiritual life, it is called Idealism. An idealist does not have considerations for material values of life. He believes that material or physical universe is not complete expression of reality. To him the physical world is the manifestation of some great spirit behind it. While the physical and material world is destructible and changeable, the spirit behind it is indestructible and unchangeable. Realization of that "Spirit should be the summum bonum* of life and the craving for material things.

To the Idealist "Mind and soul' rather than the 'Matter and the Body' are more important. The idealists do not regard environment-physical or social primarily responsible for creating man he becomes. If Newton and Einstein gave us physics and Shakespeare the best dramas, they were not results of reactions to a physical stimulus but they were the characteristic creations of mind. They consider the development of human personality as the supreme idealistic objective of life. "Exalt the human personality", is the core of philosophy of idealism. According to Ross, "Human personality is of supreme value and constitutes the noblest work of God.” Another idealist considers man "a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honour." A poet considers man "as the roof and crown of all creations of God". The development of personality, therefore, has been given the first position in idealist philosophy. Personality according to G. M. Allport, is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psycho-physiological systems which determine the unique adjustment to his environment. This unique adjustment of the individual to the environment takes place with

1. The full evolution of mind,

2 The emancipation of the spirit, and

3. The realization of higher values of life.

The idealists have idolized the Mind beyond everything. They believe in the theory of evolution, but instead of emphasizing the biological evolution, they advocate the evolution of mind, which they say, is responsible for the progressive nature of the man and the world. Mind is the creator of the new and the ex-plainer of the existing phenomena. Man's works are due to his powers of symbolic thinking. The full evolution of mind enables a man to know the truth and avoid the error, to appreciate beauty and avoid ugliness, to espouse goodness and avoid evil. Truth, goodness and beauty  are the spiritual ideals to which man should aspire and strive for. This is the task that the idealist assigns to Education.

Knowledge through the activity of mind rather than through senses is the first article of faith in idealism. The distinguishing characteristics of man, distinguishing him from other animals are his intelligence,creativity and dynamism. If man uses these powers, he becomes an ideal man and his behavior is, 'human behavior'. If he allows these powers to atrophy, he is no better than an animal and his behavior is animal behavior. Through the use of these powers man creates a cultural environment. Education helps to sharpen these powers so that man may attain spiritual happiness. "The horse, the dog-the

lower animals-are trained not educated. The lower creature assigns to himself no goal to be reached, no moral or intellectual aim to be attained, no development to be secured. There is direction but not self-direction; consciousness but not self-consciousness, inherited instinct, but not conceptual reasoning. They are trained through process of associative memory, but not educated through the pursuit of rational ends self-consciously conceived. Man has history, literature, science and the arts of civilization which the lower animals lacks."

Another article of faith with the idealists is the emancipation of the spirit. They attach no importance to life of 'flesh'. They are the high priests of life of spirit." "Man's spiritual nature is the very essence of his being and he must create a spiritual environment, which is endowed with the choicest benediction of God. The gifts of a spiritual realm are numerous and generous. But these are not inherited by man. They have to be acquired by conscious efforts and ceaseless perseverance. In the domain of spiritualism, competition, hypocrisy and jealousy is alien. There prevails brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God.

The third essence of idealism is the realization of higher values of life or ideals of life. Idealistic philosophy believes that ideals are not made by man. They already exist in the world, chief of them being truth, beauty and goodness. Man only discovers them if he makes efforts. Heaven lies about us and not above us. Life is glorious and must be lived in a glorified manner. The ideals of life are absolute and infallible and unchanging constants. They are true today, were true yesterday and will be true tomorrow.

To bring forth such a personality in a school is idealism in "educating.' "The object of living and learning is to develop the natural man into the ideal man" having physical, intellectual, emotional, moral, and spiritual perfection. Physically he must be stout.

Intellectually he must be alert, reasoning like a scientist and a philosopher. Emotionally he should have the feeling of a poet and the imagination of the prophet and an inventor. Morally he should have the will of the reformer. He should have "determination to follow good and avoid evil. Spiritually he should have the freedom of mind, freedom from ignorance, wants and passions.

Idealists believe that there is divine power behind all things good in this world. A man's rational self is superior to every other self-physical and emotional. It is the rational-self which discovers the truth.

*summum bonum- The supreme good in which all moral values are included or from which they are derived

( V R Taneja )