ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: IDEALISM Volume 1 THE CASE FOR IDEALISM THE CASE FOR IDEALISM JOHN FOSTER First published in 1982 by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd This edition first published in 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1982 John Foster All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-0-367-70445-2 (Set) ISBN: 978-1-00-315602-4 (Set) (ebk) ISBN: 978-0-367-72026-1 (Volume 1) (hbk) ISBN:978-0-367-72042-1(Volume1)(pbk) ISBN: 978-1-00-315315-3 (Volume 1) (ebk) Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace. DOI: 10.4324/9781003153153 The Case for Idealism John Foster Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford ROUTLEDGE& KEGAN PAUL London, Boston, Melbourne and Henley First published in 1982 by Routledge 4 Kegan Paul Ltd 39 Store Street, London WC1E7DD, 9 Park Street, Boston, Mass. 02108, USA, 296 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park, Melbourne, 3206, Australia and Broadway House, Newt own Road, Henley-on -Thames OxonRG91EN Set in 10U2pt Times by Saildean Ltd, Surrey and printed in Great Britain by TJ. Press (Padstow) Ltd Padstow, Cornwall © John Foster 1982 No part of this book maybe reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Foster, John, 1941- The case for idealism. (International library of philosophy) Includes bibliographical references and index. L Idealism. 2. Realism. I. Title. II. Series. B823.F67 141 81-21154 ISBN 0-7100-90194 AACR2 For Helen