Realism and Idealism in Modern Philosophical Thought

The Core Problems of Modern Philosophy

Two main problems focused the interest of the philosophers of this period. The first is the theoretical question: finding out how things can be known. In this context, only those things that are knowable are declared real. The second, practical question concerns the justification for the existence of God and freedom. We shall concern ourselves in the first place with the theoretical problem.

Realism vs. Philosophical Idealism

Realism was the doctrine followed where the subject knows reality directly. In contrast, Idealism is characterized by the belief that we have to know a representation of the object, rather than reality itself. These representations of reality are what we call ideas. The metaphysical thesis of Idealism states that it is the subject who knows reality; therefore, we can consider that only things known by the individual—and exactly to the extent they are known—are real.

Rationalism and the Order of Ideas

We will take a quick tour of the positions regarding this matter, beginning with the Rationalism of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. Realism assumed that the order and connection of our ideas is a reflection of the order and connection given between things.

Empiricism and Sensory Experience

Empiricism was the second great stream. For empiricists, the correspondence between thought and reality was not problematic because they considered experience to be a sufficient guarantee of that correspondence. The criterion for the validity of ideas proposed by empiricists could be no other than sensory experience. However, this option leads to a deep skepticism, as the proportion of our knowledge becomes very limited.

Kant’s Synthesis: The Idealist Solution

The third and final proposal was Kantian Idealism. It is not possible to consider our knowledge base quite apart from experience. Kant’s solution was to argue that knowledge comes from both sense experience and something that the subject itself brings to the process. The known object is thus made up of matter and form.

The Practical Question: Freedom and Existence

The second major problem is that of freedom. Rationalists were worried about the justification for the existence of freedom, while empiricists were interested in its realization within society.