Over the ages it has given rise to a host of different philosophical schools which reflect the interests of various social strata and social classes. Yet all these numerous schools of thought, with their varying intellectual value, have arisen as response to one fundamental problem - that of materialism and idealism.
All phenomena are either material or ideal.
Material phenomena are all those things which exist objectively - that is, independently of man's will and consciousness. Ideal phenomena are those which exist within the human consciousness. Objective idealism holds that the world exists objectively, outside of the human consciousness, in the form of Spirit, the Absolute Idea, the Universal Will or some similar formulation. Materialism is the philosophy of the most progressive classes Materialism is the philosophy of the most progressive classes, those whose commitment to social progress demands an objective and dependable world-picture. In its contemporary Marxist-Leninist form, materialism is an intellectually valid, progressive worldview.