What Are The Characteristics Of Idealism

Description of Philosophy Idealism is one of humankind’s oldest philosophies, originating in ancient India and classical Greece, further developing throughout the centuries, and reaching a high point of expression in nineteenth-century Europe and Asia. Idealism asserts that reality is spiritual or nonmaterial and may or may not have a religious orientation. Religious idealists believe that the Creator or God is a supernatural spiritual being, the source of all creation, and the active presence who keeps the world in existence. For philosophical Idealists, who root their beliefs in metaphysics rather than religion, reality is an extension of a highly abstract universal idea, an organizing principle or world concept. Idealists believe that striving for perfection is a desirable goal. They believe that while human beings may not attain perfection, they can achieve much when they follow a noble standard of life. For idealists, the quest for excellence can be a guiding …show more content…
Human beings share in that overriding spirituality or intellectuality, but in a limited way. Human life is striving for and in search of the supreme goodness and truth that exists in God or the Absolute. Idealists believe then that each human being is essentially spiritual or intellectual. The person’s spirit or mind is the most important, irreducible part of a human being.
I agree with the notion that a person’s mind or spirit is the most important, complex part of a human being. Humans are either guided by their spirit in a quest to become more like the higher power or their minds in a quest to understand as much as they can to become better individuals, striving for perfection. Humans thirst after knowledge while simultaneously learning how to become better beings. This exemplifies the saying, “The more you know, the better you grow.”
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