Greek idealism and Roman realism are two distinct philosophical approaches that developed in ancient Greece and Rome, respectively. Idealism is a philosophical doctrine that holds that reality is fundamentally mental, mental constructions, or otherwise immaterial. Realism, on the other hand, is the belief that objects and events exist independently of our perception of them, and that our knowledge of them is based on how they correspond to those objects and events.
The Greek philosopher Plato is often considered the founding figure of idealism, with his theory of the Forms, which posits that non-material abstract forms (such as justice, equality, beauty) are more real than the material world we see around us. Plato believed that these Forms are eternal and unchanging, and that our knowledge of them is innate, rather than gained through sensory experience. This idea is reflected in Plato's allegory of the cave, in which he compares the material world to shadows cast on a cave wall, and the Forms to the objects that cast those shadows.
In contrast, the Roman philosopher Epicurus, who lived a few centuries after Plato, is often associated with realism. Epicurus argued that the universe is made up of atoms, which are physical and indivisible, and that our knowledge of the world comes from our sensory experience of it. He believed that the senses are reliable and that they provide us with accurate knowledge of the world. Epicurus also rejected the idea of an afterlife, arguing that death is simply the end of consciousness and that there is no reason to fear it.
While idealism and realism are often thought of as opposing philosophical viewpoints, they can also be seen as complementary approaches to understanding the world. Idealism can be seen as emphasizing the importance of abstract concepts and ideas, while realism emphasizes the importance of empirical evidence and sensory experience. Both approaches have contributed valuable insights to the development of Western philosophy and continue to be important in contemporary philosophical debates.