Can an idea - a notion as abstract as Relativism - produce by itself the effects alleged? cause all the harm, destroy all the lives and reputations? I am as far as anyone can be from denying the power of ideas in history, but the suggestion that a philosophy (as Relativism is often called) has perverted millions and debased daily life is on the face of it absurd. No idea working alone has ever demoralized society, and there have been plenty of ideas simpler and more exciting than Relativism.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Ideas alone cannot destroy lives; blaming philosophy for societal harm is absurd.
- In plain terms
- A theory by itself does not ruin society.
- What can you take from it?
- Do not blame abstract ideas for real-world harm.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What actually drives social change?
Another view
Ideas can influence people when combined with action.
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