2017•The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social TheoryRequires access
Idealism
Patrick J. Reider
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Abstract
The term “idealism” represents some of the most important philosophical movements of the Western world. The majority of views called by this name are complex and concern different philosophical traditions such as Platonism, Berkeley's immaterialism, German idealism, and British idealism. “Idealism” is thus a family of philosophical views and traditions – some of which bear little to no resemblance to other traditions bearing the same name. This has led to much confusion as to what this term concerns. This entry seeks to clarify some of this confusion by offering a historical overview of a variety of influential idealists and their beliefs.