Idealism With Its Historical Origins Term Paper

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The world of matter is real, it is tangible, and it is an essential aspect of our human existence. However, the material universe, according to idealist philosophy, is not absolute; it is not the end. Because metaphysics concerns itself with the ultimate nature of reality, it is impossible for materialism to adequately answer metaphysical questions. There must be some source for all the multiple forms that comprise the physical universe. To propose a materialist metaphysics is to stop well short of the ultimate aim of metaphysics, which is to discover an explanation for material objects. Idealists and materialists both begin with matter but the idealist takes matter one step further, asking from where the matter came and why it exists in precisely the way that it does.

Objects that were created by human beings owe their existence to the human mind, and therefore objects that were not created by human beings may owe their existence to some greater universal mind. For example, a table is a human creation borne of necessity, as the human mind decided to put a plank on top of four posts in order to set other objects on top of it. According to the idealist, the table itself still exists, but its origin owes itself to the human mind. The table would not exist had human consciousness not conceived of it. Therefore, a preliminary metaphysical analysis of the table suggests that the table cannot exist in the absence of consciousness.

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Similarly, a flower is also the manifestation of consciousness, albeit a non-human consciousness. Even if the flower exists of its own volition, its volition must also come from somewhere. The idea of flower, of the ideal form of flower, is one possible metaphysical explanation for the manifestation of the flower. An idealist would postulate that the metaphysical reality underlying the flower is a form of cosmic consciousness or a mental/spiritual world of Forms and Ideas. Whereas the materialist demands that the material manifestation of the flower is the ultimate reality, the idealist opens up a world of metaphysical possibilities. As a metaphysical philosophy, idealism surpasses materialism in its scope.

Idealists and materialists can therefore agree that the physical world exists, but the idealist suggests that material objects do not exist a priori. To the idealist, the material universe does not precede consciousness and the material universe is not without an ideal source. A materialist would suggest exactly the opposite: that objects exist independently of consciousness, and that consciousness can only perceive that which is already there. Idealism proposes a far more dynamic view of the universe than materialism does. Because the universe itself is already compelling and dynamic, idealism is a far superior metaphysical philosophy. Materialism stops far too short of offering a thorough metaphysical philosophy......

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