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Idealism vs Ideology - What's the difference?

idealism | ideology |

As nouns the difference between idealism and ideology

is that idealism is the property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life while ideology is doctrine, philosophy, body of beliefs or principles belonging to an individual or group.

idealism

Noun

  • The property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life.
  • (philosophy) An approach to philosophical enquiry which asserts that direct and immediate knowledge can only be had of ideas or mental pictures.
  • Synonyms

    * (philosophy) philosophical idealism

    Antonyms

    * (philosophy) materialism

    Derived terms

    * epistemological idealism * metaphysical idealism

    See also

    * realism * pragmatism * materialism * physicalism

    References

    * *

    ideology

    Noun

    (ideologies)
  • Doctrine, philosophy, body of beliefs or principles belonging to an individual or group.
  • * '>citation
  • The study of the origin and nature of ideas.
  • Usage notes

    Original meaning “study of ideas” (following the etymology), today primarily used to mean “doctrine”. For example “communist ideology” generally refers to “communist doctrine”; study of communist ideas instead being “communist philosophy”, or more clearly “philosophy of communism”; only rarely “ideology of communism”.