Idealism is a popular school of thought in modern philosophy. The idea implies that reality is immaterial and this means that it is mentally constructed. Idealism thus appears as a form of skepticism about the existence of anything that does not relate to the mind. Idealism has a long history as its proponent lived in the era of 1770s and 1831. The theory has since then continued to guide numerous scholars of sociology across the world. The theory came into existence in the wake of the disunity and weaknesses that affected Germany at the time. It provided an avenue for escapist intellectual tendencies that could not partake in the then political process. The theory gives priority to consciousness as opposed to materiality and this is the cause of Marx’s criticism but the criticism is rational.

The theory traces its origin to a German philosopher who tried to portray the relevance of the mind. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, is the proponent of the theory and he posits that it is only possible to arrive at human existence and development as well as its ultimate conditions through the examination of abstract categories of philosophy namely the being and the spirit. In this light, the day-to-day world experience is not an object of investigation relating to philosophy of premium quality essays. The theory thus insists on the primacy of consciousness as the origin of the material phenomenon and hence consciousness is the precondition for material existence. The theory has two subcategories namely the subjective idealism that sees the existing world as a product of a combination of sensations arising from human consciousness. Objective idealism on the other hand emphasizes an objective consciousness that exists before and is independent of human ones. In regard to the noted information, it is clear that Hegel portrayed the relevance of the mind in his theory of idealism.

The different views between Marx and Hegel manifest themselves in reference to their different focus. Whereas Hegel focused on ideas, Marx favored the material world and this inspired Marx’s theory of historical materialism. Marx states that Hegel’s opinion that ideas shape the society is irrational as it implies that only philosophical categories are real and thus it relegates the human experience to abstract processes thus overlooking the problems of human life. Marx also argues that the focus on ideas is irrational as people have physical needs that override the intellectual needs and these can be met only through real activities and that if not met, people cannot live. Marx also criticizes Hegel’s idea that people suffer hardships due to their consciousness but not the material things. In this regard, even if Hegel had a strong idea, he appears to have had a misconception as he gave priority to ideas as opposed to the materiality of things. Marx is right to state that material needs comes first while intellectual needs follow and the rationale for this is that when one has not catered for material needs, even thinking becomes a problem. Also, any being that has consciousness must first exist. As noted, Marx and Hegel differ in opinions based on the latter’s emphasis on ideas and consciousness as opposed to the materiality of things.

In conclusion, Idealism is the theory that focuses on ideas and consciousness as opposed to materiality and Marx disputes the opinion with a good reason. Hegel coined idealism and stated that consciousness comes before the materiality of things and thus it is the precondition for existence. However, Marx disputes the idea and states that materiality is more important than consciousness. Marx has a strong point and this is because a being that does not exist cannot have consciousness. In reference to the points, it is clear that Hegel’s focus on consciousness is the source of dispute between him and Marx and the latter has a stronger case.

Tags: Criticism Sociology Human Physical

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