Ideas Have Consequences

Many years ago Richard M. Weaver wrote an important book known by the title, Ideas Have Consequences. In this book, he writes about this whole idea of culture like no one before him. His purposes are two: first to present an account of the decline of the west through deduction, and second, to present the idea that man should not follow the path of scientific analysis for his moral goodness.

Weaver makes the case that with the banishment of universals from the dialogue of truth, the general idea of what is real has changed, and, in turn, changed general culture putting modern man on the road to empiricism. This movement was not subtle, but it was radical change and, according to Weaver, "it is easy to be blind to the significance of a change because it is remote in time and abstract in character." This denial of universals is a denial of everything transcending and absolute. It seeps into belief and belief is so powerful that it influences every concept connected to it, and before long, if left unchecked, a new doctrine emerges.

Weaver goes into the idea that modern thought has but one purpose, to keep modern man busy with endless induction. Fact has been substituted for truth and an all out attack has been launched on abstract ideas and speculative inquiry. Not much has changed since Weaver's time as both are viewed with a intellectual disdain compared to the much more popular concrete factual data.

Weaver insists modern education is walking the same path as it is "expanding by diffusion until it approaches the point of nullity." Most believe that modern man is far better educated than his predecessor, but is he really? Weaver does not believe so. Weaver addresses the "chip" always thrown into the discussion - literacy rate. It is not that people can read, but instead what they do read, and what they can learn after they have read? Those are Weaver's questions; sure, man can read, but does he?

According to Weaver, ideas have consequences and change the world. From whom those ideas come and from where they come are two very important questions. Weaver raises these and other questions in his book, and understands that culture is formed by ideas. Weaver could not have foreseen Facebook, Twitter and the many other social medias available to all of us. Will ideas spring forth out of these areas? No one knows, but one thing is for sure, the next batch of new ideas will shape our world and forever change it. From where will they come? My prayer is that Christian schools and churches will produce students and people ready to produce the next great new ideas that will truly change the world.