Idealism and Realism in Philosophy
Idealism and realism are important concepts to grasp in order to gain a better understanding of philosophy. Both realism and idealism are interested in describing how the human mind interacts with the outside world. As a result, both philosophical approaches are crucial in comprehending the existence of objects in the world (Dadabaev, 2016). In their quest to understand the basis for understanding the existence of objects in the context of the human mind, Aristotle and Plato orchestrated the two methods.
Idealism
Idealism is based on the belief that ideas are the most important aspects of the world and that they are the foundation of reality. According to idealism, the conscious reason in mind is fundamental in the search for the truthful and just facts that are both enduring and everlasting. Hence, the idealists underline the need to pursue knowledge and compare it with an absolute mind as the basis for understanding the truth. Plato played a significant role in emphasizing the philosophical concepts of idealism (Ted Montgomery, 2016). According to Plato, there exist the spiritual and the appearance worlds. The spiritual world, according to the idealists, is eternal, orderly, and universal, whereas the appearance world is touchable and seeable as one can experience it through touch, smell, and taste. Additionally, idealists emphasize the fact that immoral behavior at the interpersonal level is also immoral at the foreign policy level. Among the politicians, Woodrow Wilson was an avid politician who practiced and cherished the idealist principles during his political tenure.
Realism
In contrast to idealism, realism is based on the belief that reality exists irrespective of the human mind. Hence, it views the physical objects as the world's ultimate reality. As a result, realism focuses on objects as it assumes that the truth lies in the things that are observable. Contrary to idealism, realism scrutinizes the varied aspects of observable data to get the truth about a given object or thought. Aristotle played a significant role in establishing realism in philosophy. Aristotle emphasized the need to scrutinize the actual situations in the world while taking into consideration both the negative and the positive aspects (Moseley, 2017). In contrast to idealism, realism pays attention to behavioral aspects and outcomes rather than ideas. As a result, it is highly important in political affairs of a specific locality as it accurately analyzes the historical and contemporary relationships before making a judgment. Realism considers that though an individual may be morally upright, their moral concerns ought not to determine their morality in foreign policy. Among American presidents, George W. Bush practiced realism to a greater degree during his administration in an attempt to increase the military influence abroad (Ted Montgomery, 2016).
Application of Idealism and Realism
The United States of America have sent troops in the Arabian countries, such as Afghanistan, in a bid to restore parity. Although the president of the United States Donald Trump upholds high morals to killing the people, he is unfazed over stopping the Afghanistan mission. Thus, he embraces realism, just as President Barrack Obama. On the other hand, Muammar Gaddafi used treachery as well as blood coup to claim into power (Gatehouse, 2012). Despite using uncouth means to ascend to power, he viewed the aspect of retaining the presidency as dependent on an individual's power. However, the Libya citizens opted against the un-idealistic rule as they ousted the president out of power. Idealism is best suited for political activities as it emphasizes the need for embracing honesty and morality both at the interpersonal and the foreign policy levels.
Conclusion
In conclusion, idealism and realism play a significant role in understanding the world and the political activities. Whereas idealism dwells on the fact that beliefs are the foundation of reality in the world and are the most important aspects worth knowing, realism is based on the fact that reality exists irrespective of the human mind. Aristotle and Plato played a significant role in the existence of the two philosophical approaches and created a basis for further development of both directions.
References
Dadabaev, T. (2016). Between Idealism and Pragmatism. Springer, 11-15.
Gatehouse, G. (2012, February 17). Libya marks anniversary of revolt which ousted Gaddafi. Retrieved from BBC News: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17070821
Moseley, A. (2017, May 13). Political Realism. Retrieved from Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/polreal/
Ted Montgomery. (2016, September 19). Idealism vs. Realism. Retrieved from Ted Montgomery: http://www.tedmontgomery.com/bblovrvw/Endtimes/idealismvsrealism.html
