Plato: Idealism, A Way to Reach the Real Truth

Idealism is often identified by spiritualism. Idealism means feeling all about, and spiritualism mean soul all about. Idealism is derived from idea, something presence in soul. Idealism is one of philosophy sect which glorified soul. According to him, feeling is original image that nothing other than spiritual and soul is located between original image (idea) and sensory world imagination. The meeting of soul and feeling utter an imagination that’s idea world. This sect considers that the only real is idea. Idea is permanent, unchanged and not shifted. Something move cannot be idea.
Idealism has a thought that the many kinds of reality essence came from soul or something equivalent with it, something shapeless and spaceless. The matter is only manifestation of soul. Even, matter actually is nothing. All of reality include human reality is soul. Soul takes over not only individual human but also human culture. So culture is actualization of idea world and that idea is soul. Because of that, this sect was besides called by idealism could be called by spiritualism sect.
Principally, idealism sect undergirds all of being. The real thing in universe is only idea, idea world is spiritual field which its form is different with the obvious world that visible and can be pictured. While its space has no limit and the last pillar of idea is arche. It is return place of perfection which idea world calls it as God. Arche is eternal and unchanged.
In idealism view, value is absolute. What said by true, false, beautiful or not fundamentally is unchanged from generation to generation. Truthly, value is permanent. Value is not created by human, but it is part of universe (cosmos). As an example he ever said beauty is not manifested as a face, hand or other physical things, it also not a discourse, knowledge or as form in living thing, earth, sky, or anything else, but it’s “existing itself by itself with itself” and always unique in “form”. While, all beauty of other thing participated appropriately with the “form” way.
Idea is the highest truth. And the highest idea is goodness. In religion term, the goodness idea is often identified by God. The duty of ideas is to lead human minds became example of experience. Who has taken over idea will know the certain way. Therefore he can use it as a tool to measure, classify and appraise all of daily things.
Beginning from idea eternity, Plato admits there is universal objective truth in this world, that’s idea itself. And the truth could be reached only by mind reason. Since that time, the ancient rationalism had emerged. Because of that, Plato was known by the founder of classical rationalism.
A few notes:
After reading all of Plato concept about idea, a glance I grasp some similarities with wihdatul wujud concept that introduced by Ibnu al-‘Arabi. He said there is nothing in this world but the One. There are no realities in this world but Him. All of visible thing are manifestation of His activity. But it’s just a speculative opinion from me.
What I re-questioned from this theory is about value. Idealism said that value is permanent and not created by human. Well, this concept later will be criticized by post modernists. In fact, values, whether good or bad, beauty or not are constructed by people. So there is no certainty in this world. All things include values will be changed. For example, previously, woman wear trousers is something taboo in our society, but now it be something usual even became a special trend. Tweet Follow @tirtanirwana