Plato, Kant, and Dewey

As an Objectivist, I am accustomed to others disagreeing with my ideas. My ideas challenge the conventional thinking and this necessarily puts me at odds with others. I do not intentionally seek out conflict—it simply goes with the territory when one holds ideas that are outside of the mainstream.

Because my ideas are foreign to most individuals, it can be particularly frustrating when I explain my position on a particular issue. Both the content and the method of my argument is often misunderstood. It is not uncommon for my arguments to be dismissed out of hand, with my opponent saying something to the effect of “nobody could seriously believe that.”

While such casual dismissals are disturbing, I do find them somewhat understandable. Few individuals have studied philosophy or explicitly identified their ideas and the validity of those ideas. Most individuals have absorbed their ideas over their lifetime, accepting an olio of ideas whose source and validity are often unknown. (This is not intended as a slam, just a statement of fact.) For example, few individuals have heard of Immanuel Kant or John Dewey, yet their ideas are widely accepted. Few individuals are familiar with the ideas of Karl Marx or Plato, yet their ideas are widely accepted.

I see the influence of these men and their minions on a daily basis. “That may be true for you, but not for me” came from Dewey. “We can’t be certain of anything” came from Kant. “Corporate executives are overpaid” came from Marx. “We need to protect people from themselves” came from Plato. These clichés and many more like them are often uttered with no understanding of their true meaning or their implications.

You might think that this is a bunch of useless theory and it has nothing to do with real life and operating a painting business (you got that from Dewey). You might think that my ideas work for me, but you run your business differently (you got that from Dewey as well). You might think it’s admirable to be so principled, but I’m not being practical (another idea from Dewey). You might think I’m an egoist jerk for insisting that I am right and most everyone else is wrong (Dewey again).

The ideas we accept as true ultimately determine the choices we make and the actions we take. It does not matter whether we know the source of those ideas, whether we have consciously considered them or not, or whether we understand their implications. The power of ideas is an inescapable fact of human life.

I recently witnessed this in action in a very interesting fashion. Members of a popular forum for painting contractors were discussing illegal immigration. I commented that I found it interesting that such discussions seldom, if ever, included any discussion of the legitimacy of our immigration laws. I stated that our immigration laws are immoral because they violate an individual’s rights. I was quickly attacked and accused of knowingly and intentionally hiring illegal aliens. I was told that my arguments were simply an attempt to rationalize my behavior (he got that idea from Marx).

In another thread on that forum I was discussing compensation methods for production personnel with another contractor. At one point he stated that my ideas might work for me, but he runs his business differently (this idea comes from Dewey). I then started another thread in which I stated that sound business principles apply to all businesses, and only the details of implementation differ.

Before long the thread was hijacked into an inquisition into whether I hire illegal aliens. My comments regarding business principles were ignored and my character was attacked. I was accused of being overly sensitive when I pointed out these facts. I was accused of making statements that could be found nowhere in any of my posts.

At the end of the day the entire experience was rather amusing. It was also illuminating because it revealed the true character of my antagonists. They may not know the source of their ideas, and they may not understand the implications of those ideas, but they are responsible for what they regard as true.

Each individual is a being of self-made soul (I got that from Aristotle). We choose the ideas that will guide our lives. We can do so explicitly through careful study and thought, or we can do it implicitly by accepting the ideas that are tossed our way. In either case, the choices we make will determine our character. The choices we make will determine the nature of our words and actions, and thus reveal our soul to the world.