materialism vs. idealism

Materialism and idealism are two different ways of understanding how the world works. Materialism is the belief that everything in the world can be explained by physical matter and its movement, like how the light from the sun affects a plant. Idealism is the belief that reality is made up of ideas or thoughts or something that can't be seen or touched. An example of idealism could be believing that all people have an inner soul or spirit that helps guide their actions. Both beliefs have been around for a long time, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. In a nutshell, materialism is more focused on physical, scientific explanations, while idealism is more interested in understanding people and their motivations through philosophy and spirituality.