The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-15
THE PRESIDENTS IDEALS.
Does Modern Psychology Glass Them
ms Mere OpinIonsf

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN--Sir.: No
words or terms are so confusing as
idea, ideal and idealism. Since they
sre processes OF our thoughts and alb
stract and subjective. they are problems
of mind that are hard nuts TO crack!
Up to the time OF Descartes (l600)
the word idea had one meaning and was
used In the Platonic sense. Plato's ideas
were real to him, almost like sticks and
ducks in the concrete world OF objects
about us. He said they were the only
things that did not perish, and hence
they were eternal; that they existed In
heaven. and were here as patterns or
models from types there and dropped
down. here on earth.
But Plato Is not tho only one who
had curious ideas or notions about ideas.
Bishop Berkeley's idealism made DR.,
Sam johnson kick a stone to refute him.
He had said that matter did not exist
except as an idea
Tho German transcendentai school
was about as fantastic, with the possi-
bic exception of Kant. Thus Hegel said
that things were real because made by
thought, and that thought had an OBJ
jectke existence.
The modern philosophy OF psychology
teaches that an idea is only n combina-
ton OF two or more thoughts, and that
any single thought Is true, not real. in
and for itself because we get such a
thought direct from the senses We per-
ceive the ocean, and we affirm and Judge
what we see true from that single per-
ception Of sight Even though the
senses may fool US. nevertheless the
thought is as perceived or felt.
But II we now combine two or more
thoughts we may make a judgment from
them of something that Ia false. An idea
to be true must have content or be valid,
as they say, that Is It must go back to
the objective world just as the eye saw
the ocean. II a lot OF compound thoughts
or associated ideas. as the term is. can
be traced back to earth one from the
othen II they came from there, and not
from the clouds or alice in Wonder
land" then such an idea Is said to be
valid or to have content. Innate ideas
won't work any more since all must
come from former experiences.
President Wilson said the other day
in Boston: AL my life I have heard
men speak with a certain condescension
OF ideals and ideallsts and particularly
OF those separated and encloistered per-
sons whom they chose to term academic
and who are in the habit OF uttering
ideals in the free atmosphere where they
clash with nobody in particular. have
uttered as the objects of this great war
iAao1u "a A,,t 10
war has been won by that inspiration"
The question is then. What Is an ideal i?
Is it anything more than exists in ideas,
or pertaining to and consisting in ideas?
He may have probably used the word
in that definition that makes II "a
standard desire or ultimate object or
aim as for the common good, welfare
or well being.
But for all that, nevertheless It is an
idea tust the same, and the question Is :
Is the League a valid idea?
II certainly is If the different asso-
ciated Ideas that make It up. that Is,
make up this big idea, can be traced back
to the objective world and It's experiences
or our experiences here by our senses.
The President probably feels that his
Idea or ideal will be so found to have
validity and will prove true in practice.
That is the position he probably takes
In regard to modern idealism, or what
the word means to-day At the same
time It is but an idea or a thing OF mind
only. Would not the word opinion be
just as good a definition for modern
idealism? GEORGE p. WILKINSON
OMAHA. Neh. March Il