Thus idealists deny the existence of matter as something intrinsically different from mind, though they do not deny that our sense-data are signs of something which exists independently of our private sensations.
Those who maintain that mind is the reality and matter an evil dream are called " idealists" —a word which has a different meaning in philosophy from that which it bears in ordinary life.
Idealists, materialists, and ordinary mortals have been in agreement on one point: that they knew sufficiently what they meant by the words " mind" and " matter" to be able to conduct their debate intelligently.