The Theory on Ideas, Elaborated

This is a collection of a couple of articals I wrote on ideas. They are as deep as I can get right now.

We've been under attack by ideas, and we have been for some time. It may seem like a radical concept to think that ideas can attack a nation, but since people are driven into action by ideas, it is the idea they ascribe to that is the problem, as people would not take action if they didnt have an idea to justify their action. Now when i say "idea," i am using the term generally to include ideologies and belief systems, as well as concepts such as hate and others.

Ideology, Culture, and the systemization of human beings.

Human beings are defined by their beliefs and constructs of reality. Their worldview is shaped by the ideas they have and their beliefs become part of their identity. Some beliefs can unify human beings into a system whose goal is to acquire more parts to the system and destroy opposing belief systems and ideas. The system usually is a pyramid, with the belief using a spearhead figure to drive the idea and interpret this particular view of reality. It acts like any other intelligent system, in that it wants to grow and acquire more followers, and it preys upon weaker systems, almost as if the collective movement is of one mind.

The driving force behind people's actions are ideas. Whether it is complex ideas such as political ideology ( look at the root of that word "ideo") or other belief systems, or simple ones such as what you are going to cook for supper, what motivates and drives people to behave a certain way is the ideas that they subscribe to. Ive always wanted to study ideas from a psychological perspective, in particular ideas about morality and ethics, and how certain ideas cause someone to lose the value of human life, like an idea that justifies the killing of civilians and noncombatants in conflict, and what causes someone to be radicalized in a particular ideology to the point that they act on behalf of the agencies and organizations that spearhead that particular ideology or belief system. I want to know what parts of the brain are affected when someone is radicalized, and when and how the value and respect of human life is lost in that process. When people build a construct of reality around a particular idea, that idea becomes part of their identity and becomes increasingly difficult to break because it is their reality. This is also true with people who suffer from fixed delusions in diseases such as certain kinds of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The people with fixed delusions cannot break their belief in a false idea because their entire reality, worldview, and identity revolve around the delusion. I would argue that people who commit mass acts of violence such as terrorists and others are delusional, having a construct of reality based on a false idea about reality. Yes, hatred, anger, and the desire for revenge play a role, but the delusion comes in the feeling that the world has wronged them so deeply that they are willing to take innocent lives in retaliation. However, some people have been cut deep by the actions of others, but that just makes them all the more susceptible to dangerous ideas. Now terrorism is slightly different, yet still motivated by ideas that paint a particular culture or nation as evil and the enemy of their way of life. Terrorists forego the value of life in order to achieve their objectives, which is to induce fear that paralyzes and destabilizes the targeted nation by putting it on the defensive and make people question morality and good in the world. Terrorism also forces us to forego some of out freedoms in the interests of security, hence causing us to capsize on one of the ideas we value most; freedom. As I subscibe to a christian belief system, i believe that the concept of the dichotomy of good and evil are very real things. I believe that there is God who is sovereign over the world, and as a result, I believe their is an antithesis to that sovereign God which causes evil. Evil is based on deception, while God is based on truth. Sorry if i sound preachy, this is just what i construct my reality around. Anyone has every right to disagree with me and thats ok. One last thought, history is simply a war of ideas, and we engage in these conflicts both through words and weapons, and words are often the most powerful weapons.