Idealist and Realist Approaches

Perennial Duality

Decisions are the route to success in achievement. Success is about developing a correspondence between purposes (values and objectives) and the actual state of the relevant wider world.

In analysing the best way to address the world, philosophers have long been aware of two unavoidably conflicting perspectives: idealist and realist.

Purposes are ideas and the actual state is a reality. While some form of synthesis must be an ultimate concern to succeed, should controls concentrate more on one of these poles?

The perennial conflict within metaphysics, like all great philosophical questions, remains unresolved. The resolution offered here is that we are dealing with an oscillating duality.

Two Caveats

1. It is unnecessary and outside my competence to review philosophical positions. I use my own constructions to characterise perspectives which seem to be universal and biologically natural. They inevitably affect philosophers and permeate their writings.
2. Note that the intrinsic nature of reality—i.e. whether it is material, mental, spiritual, some combination or something else entirely—is not relevant to this framework. Also the issue of gaining knowledge about reality, epistemology, is not the present concern, but see more here.

The duality identified here is: Functional Idealism v Practical Realism.

Functional Idealism is the position that values and objectives are the essential rationale for pursuing activities that desire to change the real world.

A functional idealist perspective is clearly the foundation and driver of all activity, but adherents to this perspective do not deny or reject the constraints and relevance of the actual realities that must be altered.

Practical Realism is the position that the world must be responded to primarily in its own terms: hence the need for responsibility i.e. ability to respond.

A practical realist perspective does not ignore the over-riding significance of purposes for activities and accepts they are a component of deciding. However, goals are relatively unproblematic and it is important not to over-emphasize them when choosing a method for deciding.

Dominance: The idealist perspective is dominant in that it characterizes the 4 odd-numbered levels, while the realist perspective characterizes the 3 even-numbered levels.

Cf. Research methods: A similar but not identical realist-idealist duality is explained here, but note that it possesses the opposite dominance pattern. A comparison of these two Typologies is provided here.

Functional Idealism

Terminology:  I use the adjective 'functional' to be clear that this idealism is limited to purposes relevant to action and achievement. It does not speak to the many other aspects of personal functioning where a view about ideas and their significance is relevant or needed.

L'1-Rationalist Method

Purposes, both values and objectives, determine all real world change, and are the basics tools leading to success in the world.
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This method the most unequivocal in its view that everything is a matter of ideas held by those involved and others in the context. Goals not only guide and underpin but also energize the decision process every step of the way.

L'3 Pragmatic Method

Goals that are easily and quickly achievable offer the best way to ensure that some desired change occurs.
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This method views reality as far too complex to know, control or predict. Opportunity and self-interest are expedient and positively desirable as controls for decision-making. Gut feel is regarded as a powerful instrument.

L'5-Systemicist Method

A comprehensive and desirable future scenario must be constructed so that optimal feasible strategies may be devised to enable evolution towards that state.
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Simple goals can easily lead to unbalanced development or even disastrous unexpected side-effects. It is necessary to recognize dynamic interaction amongst actors and between their endeavour and social forces in the environment. However, any model is subordinate to the future concept.

L'7-Imaginist Method

Inner disquiet, traceable to ideas and developed through intuitions, provokes action and leads to inspirations that may reject or re-interpret apparent realities.
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Decisions developed via imagination, personal needs and aspirations impose on realities, so that success also becomes a vehicle for growth and betterment.

Practical Realism

Terminology:  I use the adjective 'practical' to be clear that this realism is limited to its part in choices aiming to generate achievement. It does not speak to the many other aspects of personal functioning where a view about reality and its nature is relevant or needed.

L'2-Empiricist Method

Knowledge of actual problems, actual progress and other reality factors (states, constraints) should be the focus for a decision to be optimal.
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Facts and information flows put ideas and goals into perspective. Computerization is an essential tool to value information and get better control of costs, more efficiency and continuing assessments of effectiveness.

L'4-Dialectical Method

Social reality has an intrinsic political dimension and it is necessary to recognize and compromise with the relevant powerful competing interest groups.
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Opposing values derived from ideological positions and personal interests are always at play in any activity. Change necessary for success is commonly resisted at an emotional level and that also demands compromise.

L'6-Structuralist Method

Success depends on continuing accountability for work now and in the future. So decision involves identifying the work-to-be-done and facing the socio-physical reality relevant to achievement.
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There is a need to be confident that there will be an efficient suitable response to whatever socio-physical realities arise, even as goals persist or alter. This could include creation of new goals. So this decision-method provides a framework for individuals using other decision methods.

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• Controls in inquiry (PH'2) are similar: check this here.
• Then compare controls for inquiry-PH'2 and action-PH'1.

Originally posted: 21-Aug-2015. Updated 20-Oct-2015.