Contents
Introduction
Idealism is a world-view that emphasises the significance of the mind (as opposed to the external material world) when it comes to interpreting the world around us. As such, an idealist’s world is made up of personal notions regarding what the world should be like. Though the definition of idealism has come to mean many things in variety of disciplines, this post is concerned with a more everyday form of idealism – the ideals that we use to direct our lives.
It’s commonly thought that idealism originated with the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428/427 BCE-348/347 BCE), whose dual philosophy proclaimed the distinction between the world of Forms and the world of Matter. According to Plato, the world of Forms represents an abstract realm that is unchanging and perfect. Our mentally-sourced ideas and concepts belong to this realm, and Plato theorised that since the mind could access this realm, it belonged to this realm.
Conversely, the world of Matter is characterised by flux and decay, and comprises the material world that we find ourselves in. The world of Matter is reliant on the essential nature of the world of Form, and although Matter is shaped after Form, Matter can never achieve the perfection that is inherent to Form. For this reason, Plato considered the world of Form superior to the world of Matter (the tremendous consequences of which I have written about in this post).
Plato’s distinction between the world of Form and Matter gave rise to a dual world, and formed a bias that glorifies the superiority of Form over Matter. What’s more, Plato’s ideas regarding the worlds of Form and Matter have shaped the course of Western philosophy and theology, and for that matter the world at large.
The development of Platonic dualism over the ages
Though the concept of dualism hadn’t been formalised into a philosophical concept until 1641 by René Descartes, Plato’s early dualism had set a precedent. As such, Plato’s dualism served as the cornerstones of the later Abrahamic religions (Christianity and Islam), and thereby indirectly how we as a global population have come to see the world. That is, in terms of the body and the spirit.
The concept of idealism has evolved from Plato’s realm of Form and gained traction especially with Age of Enlightenment thinkers (notably Kant). As a result, idealism and its counterpart, materialism, have been extensively been written about, and influenced various disciplines, including Economics, and Politics. They have thus become entrenched philosophies in their own right; existing in parallel to Plato’s original notion of Form and Matter.
That being said, the idealism written about in this Deep Dive post is of a more colloquial nature and has a more practical purpose. That is, to serve as a mental framework through which we are able to improve our current state, as individuals and societies at large.
The necessity for human idealism
The significance of idealism
Idealism has been an instrumental factor in the development of the world as we know it; one simply has to look around. The extent of the technological advancements that have been made in modernity were likely unthinkable not even a century ago. It is safe to assume that without the ambition that ideals provide, we would not be where we are today.
Moreover, understanding the nature and origin of our idealism is also useful on a personal basis as ideals often serve as the cornerstones of personal progress and success. Moreover, the ability to differentiate between idealism and quixotism is an useful skill to have (and often acquired with age). This is especially true since much of our daily lives consist of theorising about and plotting the future ahead of time.
Ideals tend to be ‘perfect’
As previously mentioned, Plato theorised that the entities of the world of Form are abstract and also perfect and incorruptible. Likewise, our ideals have a tendency towards ‘perfection’, by virtue of which they are naturally ambitious and likely beyond our current reach (if at all attainable).
It’s for this reason that in order to conjure up appropriate and worthwhile ideals, we must have sufficient access to the following cognitive prerequisites: awareness, foresight, and sufficiently developed reasoning capabilities. We must be able to understand our current means through self-awareness, our (reachable) ideal through our foresight, and our path to achieve the ideal by virtue of our reason.
Nevertheless, the perfectionistic quality that ideals have, proves a crucial characteristic, for ideals must have an ambitious quality to them to be worthwhile standards to strive toward. It is for this reason that the ideals we hold must have a degree of the fantastical about them, for otherwise they would not command us as they do, nor would pursuing them be of much benefit. In short, it is as the old adage exclaims: ad astra.
Idealism throughout the ages
Plato’s worlds of Form and Matter stand in contrast to one another, and yet, both world views exist in a state of mutual interdependence. Likewise, their derivatives, idealism and materialism, also exist in this state. As such, the various movements influenced by idealism and materialism ideologies owed their birth to their antagonist. Below I’ve listed a few movements that have occurred throughout history and have their roots in idealism.
Christian and Islamic dualism
Plato’s beliefs had a profound influence on the Abrahamic religions, especially on the foundation of Christian and Islamic beliefs. Early Christianity was influenced by middle Platonic thinkers the likes of Plutarch. Christianity (and Islam) in subsequent times (1st-3rd century AD) was influenced by Neoplatonic thinkers the likes of Plotinus. Both religions have modelled some beliefs and practices after Platonic notions. Perhaps most notable is the dualistic nature of the afterlife in Christian and Islamic dogma.
Medieval European idealism
The European knights of the 11th-12th century were known for their code of Chivalry, which gained popularity with the advent of the First Crusade (1096-1099). The Chivalric code was an idealistic belief system which sought to elevate certain moral and martial qualities, including bravery and being of service to others.
The especial treatment of women as well as the concept of ‘courtly love’ constituted a significant part of the Chivalric code. This type of love represented an idealised (read: romantic) version of love hitherto unprecedented. The Chivalric Knight was known to spend a significant portion of his mental reservoir reflecting upon his love for his lady.
Courtly love allowed the aristocracy of the time to experience love outside of marriage (marriages in this time period were mostly strategic), and the feelings that accompanied courtly love were exercised with a degree of restraint to retain their purity. As such, courtly love represented an idealistic love that sought to elevate the love-interest in the mind of the observer, to the point of obsession, and always without indulging in these feelings.
Romanticism – the counter to the Enlightenment
Idealism again reared its head within the cultural sphere of Western Europe during the Romanticism, beginning at the end of the 18th century.
The romantics valued such notions as individuality, liberality, the glory of nature (the noble savage), as well as sentimentality and sought to dramatise the struggle of the individual. As such, the individual was portrayed as a dynamic and willful being that was able to overcome the stifling constraints and conventions of polite society – the status quo.
The Romantics stood in contrast to the preceding generations that heralded the Age of Enlightenment. This particular period was characterised by the emphasis on reason and rationality, as well as the diminution of the emotions in favour of the intellect. Indeed, the freedom, sentimentality, and liberalism that was expressed freely during the Romanticism was a direct response to the constraints on sentimentality that were the consequence of pursuing rationality and scientific rigor during the Enlightenment period.
The rise of the mechanisation of labour in 17th century England and the and subsequent industrial revolution of 18th century England saw non-aristocrats rise to wealth and fame. Others took note, as this period was marked by rebellious sorts who sought to overthrow the status quo that constituted the stagnant aristocracy and their ideals of ennui. The rise of the people was further fuelled by the ideals of rebellion and revolution that were implicit in the Romanticism movement. As such, the values of the French revolution stood steadfastly as the centre piece of the Romanticism: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.
Idealism is key to future success
As we’ve previously established, idealism plays a key role in progress and success on both an individual and societal scale.
Through ideals are we able to envision and define the future. Many great nations have been built by virtue of their ideals, and many a nation has seen its own destruction by vice of their ideals. It is for this reason that it’s important to choose and refine our ideals accordingly.
The process of choosing one’s ideals is likely to be influenced by a variety of factors. We tend to strive for the things that we admire, and perhaps some of the ideals that we hold are owed to our role models in life.
Likewise, there are probably also unconscious elements involved in the choice of our ideals. Perhaps, we’ve been raised in a household that placed great emphasis on a particular matter; we often carry the standards that our parents set early on in our lives.
Due to the risk of conscious and unconscious bias, it is important that we choose our ideals carefully and assess whether they’re aligned with our means and aims in life. Hence, it’s crucial that we take stock of our current situation and our as well as our psychic landscape when evaluating ideals.
Moreover, the ability to discern between appropriate and too-good-to-be-true ideals is a crucial skill to have. Overshot ideals are ones that cross the border into quixotism and/or delusion and will only steer us away from our path and confound our efforts to achieve realistic ideals. Nevertheless, errors in judgment are common when initially setting ideals, though these are likely to improve with time and practise.
The dangers of idealism
Just as history has highlighted the emergence and triumph of progressive ideals across the ages, so has it served numerous examples of the dangers that ideals may pose. As mentioned earlier, ideals, by their very nature, border on the verge of reality and fantasy. Those who follows ideals but do not temper them with a degree of reality could become possessed by frantic utopianism and ignore the reality in favour of fantasy.
History is littered with examples of such utopianism. Just as ideals arise within a culture in response to deficiencies in the status quo, the over-idealism that grips an idealistic leader may initially appear as the much needed solution to grave issues that may ravage a nation. It is as Karl Marx has previously remarked: ‘Religion is the opium of the masses’. Like religion, ideals are what keep the people occupied and hopeful.
As history will attest, despotic leaders have often used fanciful ideals to inspire hope and passion for otherwise questionable causes. As such, several socio-political ideologies may have been nipped in the bud much earlier if it weren’t for the efficacy of their ideals, by which they captivated and regulated the masses.
The persuasive and charismatic despots wielding such ideals are able to capture the minds of the people by promising enticing benefits. Notions such as wealth, power, and unity are all at the forefront of such promises. Alas, little did they know, they had been sold a dream.
Those who question the power of ideals and ideologies, will learn a very important lesson in the conduct of the ‘empires’ of the 20th century, Russia and Germany. Both nations petrified into unyielding authoritarian regimes that were first and foremostly characterised by their oppression of people. Both regimes were founded on ideologies that were sold as dreams to the people, only to unravel into a nightmare upon the break of dawn.
Unfortunately, such ideologies as Nazism and Communism, amongst others, were initially able to inspire within the people a degree of fervour that prevented them from seeing the reality of the situation. Tragically, the pursuit of these ideologies lent itself to the perpetration of massive human rights atrocities.
Individual idealisation
Just as a despotic leader might promise the achievement of certain ideals as a means to appease a people’s insecurities, we might ourselves idealise certain concepts as a cover for our own insecurities.
As mentioned previously, ideals originate due to a current lack or need in a certain area. As such, the ideal serve to steer an individual or population toward filling the gap that is experienced.
For example, a person that grew up in an environment that was not responsive to them, might in compensation for this lack idealise a desire for control, and grow up to purposely seek positions of power where they can exercise their ideal.
Unfortunately, such idealisation is often not beneficial as it is founded on unconscious grounds. Relying entirely on unconscious psychic processes to guide us in future situations is not likely to end well. For this reason, it is important that we formulate our ideals with a degree of reasoning involved.
Idealism must exist in relation to practicality
As mentioned in a previous post, our ability to judge (future) events is affected by the incongruence that is the result of the separation of our mind, and the objective world (ignoring other assumptions). Invariably, this concepts stands in parallel to Plato’s perfect world of Form and imperfect world of Matter.
Those who rely excessively on an the abstract ideal without 1. Aligning their means with their ideal, and 2. Without making regular adjustments to their ideal through the use of ‘reality checks’, will sooner or later find themselves enter a state of delusional thinking. An example might be someone that likes to save items for potential later usage. Given time, and without ‘reality checks’ (e.g. by avoiding other people’s feedback), their ‘saving’ might cross the line into hoarding.
Furthermore, over-idealisation can also result in unhappiness in other ways. Perfectionism is a well-known phenomenon in the modern day. Perfectionists buy into a form of idealisation that extends to the everyday world. By virtue of their idealistic tendencies do they pressure themselves and the people around them to conform to standards that are impossible to achieve consistently.As a result, they are continually dissatisfied with those around them and themselves, which results in undue stress for everyone involved.
The antidote to delusion
Ideals are a useful and necessary part of the mind and an effective tool for personal development. But, as we’ve established, they can also be obstructive and even harmful to the self and others if pursued recklessly. Therefore, it is important to stick to a few ground rules that prevent one from going off-track.
Since ideals can be voluntarily or involuntarily held, it is good practice to regularly reflect upon them. Ideals, much like values and principles, are inferred by looking at our behaviour. So, by looking at the way we act on a daily basis, we can gain insight into what we ultimately strive towards, even if we did not initially know that we held such an ideal.
Choosing ideals that are helpful to fulfil your goals in life is an essential part of personal development and success. Considering that ideals either consciously or unconsciously steer your behaviour, it is best to hold ideals that are aligned with a favourable way of being. Therefore, taking stock of any potentially obstructive and/or involuntary ideals is just as important as purposely choosing the right ideals.
Choosing the right ideals
As people, we generally strive for the same outcomes, even though our methods may differ. As such, it is most likely universally agreed upon that it is good to strive for peace, abundance, knowledge, and happiness, to name a few examples.
Based on the above reasoning, it is best to choose ideals that universally valued. History gives us ample evidence of the successes and failures of individuals and nations that strove for their particular ideals.
Though universal ideals have great appeal, it is also important to look at your life and overall character and choose ideals based thereupon. The benefit of an ideal is only realised if we are able to act in accordance with it. Therefore, ideals that are personally chosen and represent a meaningful pursuit are ones that are ultimately more resistant to the effects of time.
Conclusion
Ideals represent a universal human attribute that has changed the course of our species for the better. As such, ideals play a fundamental role on both an individual and societal scale: to incite change and betterment. As such, the principal function of ideals are the achievement (and maintenance) of a higher standard.
Even though ideals serve to better an individual’s or a people’s current state, betterment is a subjective concept, and the betterment of one people may come at the cost of another. History has provided ample examples of such instances: despotic leaders who have wielded the sceptre of idealism only to lead their people into ruin.
The idealism that steers nations and individuals alike, has reared its head on many occasions and in many editions, and will continue to do so indefinitely. Although idealism has numerous pitfalls, sometimes of devastating consequence, it has also been the reason for a great many improvements in life as we know it.
Therefore, caution is advised to all idealists out there: temper your dreams with reality, and be happier for it tomorrow!
