4 ms·
Just ideas? Not massive union participation and protests across the Western world, revolutions and wars to force it?
by guerrilla 5y ago
Just ideas? Not massive union participation and protests across the Western world, revolutions and wars to force it?
- PeterisP 5y agoThat's how competition of ideas looks like - with people being in conflict over these ideas, and those ideas (or ideologies as "idea packages") having to change and compromise to win over more people or be outcompeted as their supporters get outnumbered, defeated or even eliminated.
- ModernMech 5y agoSo if you have an idea, and I have an idea, and I beat you to death, my idea has won?
- PeterisP 5y agoWell yes, militarily defeating most proponents of an idea is a reasonably effective way of subduing that idea or ideology. For historical examples, the nazi ideology is probably a major example, with the idea becoming much less prominent and widespread after WW2, all the while it's obvious that it would be quite popular in much of the world if the war had turned out differently. The idea of divinely sanctioned monarchy is another big one which was generally accepted but then mostly lost out through applied violence. The USA Civil war might also be thought of as this kind of war of ideas.
- ModernMech 5y agoI disagree. I would say we have phrases like "war of ideas" to differentiate between actual war. It would seem to me that literal war indicates a failure of a war of ideas. If what you say is true, then the only conclusion to draw is "might makes right". i.e. whoever has the biggest stick has the best ideas. That's something I'll have trouble accepting.
- guerrilla 5y agoOr maybe they didn't fight over ideas at all but resources and power.