Explaining the idealism concepts, its history, and idealism in the education.

1. Philosophical Psychology:
Idealism
PRESENTED BY:
KAIYISAH NURULSYAKUR BINTI YUSOF (G1628472)
NUR ILANAH SALSABILA BINTI AWANG (G124380)
PRESENTED FOR:
DR. NIK SURYANI BT. NIK ABD. RAHMAN
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION (EDC
6304)

2. Contents
• Definition of Idealism
• Concept of Idealism
• Idealist
• Types of Idealism Theories
• Movements in Philosophy of Idealism in Education
1. Development of Idealism
2. Idealism as a Philosophy of Education
3. Critique of Idealism

3. Definition of Idealism
• A philosophical orientation emphasizing mind or
spirit as the pre- eminent feature of life.
• Contrast with Materialism.

4. Concept of Idealism
• Idealism is employed in philosophy, the mental work of experience
is foundational to all science and for that matter all knowledge.
• It would be impossible to know anything apart from consciousness
or experience.
• Thus, the mental work (experience, awareness, consciousness) has
priority – it is the only world to which we have immediate access.

5. Idealists
• For the idealist, psychology is the science that studies mental
processes and experience.
• An idealist would argue that all science begins with experience and
is about experience.
• Thus, it is the mind or the mental world that has ontological status.
• The material world is a construction – a mere by- a product of a
more important reality.
• Many of the key figures in the history of psychology has identified
with idealism.
• Examples include: Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Immanuel Kant,
George Berkeley, and George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

6. Types of Idealism Theories
•concedes the primary
of human consciousness and
believes that the existing world
are a combination of sensation.
Subjective
Idealism
•concedes the primary of
an objective consciousness which
exists before and independent of
human ones.
Objective
Idealism

7. Movements in Philosophy of Idealism
in Education
(Ozmon and Craver 2008)
a. Development of Idealism
b. Idealism as a Philosophy of Education
c. Critique of Idealism

8. Development of Idealism
Platonic
Idealism
Religious
Idealism
Modern
Idealism

9. • “People should concern themselves in searching for truth”
• Importance and use of dialectic (or critical discussion)
• 2 worlds: world of ideas (forms) and world of matter (ever-
changing)
• People do not create knowledge, but rather they discover it.
Platonic Idealism (Plato 427-347 B.C.E)

10. Religious Idealism
• Idealism has exerted considerable influence
on religion
• Religion – God as Universal Good,
• Idealism- Truth as Universal Good

11. Religious Idealism
Augustine (354 – 430 C.E.)
• Augustine believed that the senses were unreliable and
that belief in God rests ultimately on faith.
• “We must first believe, in order that we may know.”
• He believed that God already created knowledge, and
people can discover it through trying to find God.
• Learning must come from within and all true knowledge
comes from God.

12. Modern Idealism
1. George Berkeley (1685-1753 C.E.)
•All existence depends on some mind to know
it; if no minds exist, then for all intents and
purposes nothing exists unless it is perceived
by the mind of God.
•Philosophical realism- that material world
exists independent of mind.
•His main purpose is to make evident the
existence of God and to prove that God is
the true cause of all things.

13. Modern Idealism
2. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804 C.E.)
• Wrote books: Critique of pure reason and
Critique of practical reason.
• To Kant, the essence of education should
not be simply training; the important thing
was enlightenment, or teaching a child to
think according to principles as opposed to
mere random behavior.

14. Modern Idealism
3. George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831 C.E.)
• 3 important books: Phenomenology of Mind, Logic, and
Philosophy of Right.
• 3 major aspects of his system: logic, nature and spirit.
• Spirit is the final stage or synthesis of Idea and Nature.
• Hegel’s idealism is most apparent – the search for final
Absolute Spirit.
• “to be truly educated, an individual must pass through the
various stages of the cultural evolution of humankind.”

15. Idealism as a
Philosophy of Education
• Educational Aims of Idealism
• Methods of Education
• Curriculum
• Role of the Teacher

16. Educational Aims of Idealism
Search for Truth (highest aim)
• Philosophical wisdom or the conception of true ideas is the
highest aim of education
Self-Realization (ultimate aim)
• Idealism has exerted so much influence on educational views
about individual mind and self
Character Development (proper aim)
• Many idealists are concerned with moral character as an
outgrowth of thinking and thoughtful actions

17. Methods of Education
• Dialectic (Plato)
• Intuitive approach (Augustine)
• Great books (modern idealists)
• Lecture method
• Other idealist’s methodology: projects, supplemental
activities, library research and artwork.
• Self-directed activity

18. Curriculum
• Teach students to think.
• Idealists think that humans can become more noble
and rational by developing the ability to think.
• Educational materials like reading materials
• Teacher should encourage and help students to
explore curriculum materials for ideas.

19. Roles of Teachers
1. Assist students in choosing important material.
2. Serve as exemplary models.
3. Teachers are expected to encourage students to ask
questions and to provide a suitable environment for
learning.
4. Socratic characteristics (analyzing, discussing with
others) – encourage their students to better their
thinking.
5. Infuses them with a desire to improve their thinking in
the deepest possible way.

20. Critique of Idealism in Education
The high cognitive level of education that idealists promote.
Their concern for safeguarding 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 belief in the importance of self-realization.
Their stress on the human and personal side of life.
Their comprehensive, systematic, and holistic approach.