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Beware of idealists, they're often dangerous
Thursday, 7 December 2006
There are all sorts of dangerous people in the world, but probably the most dangerous are idealists. By idealist, I mean someone who believes ideas are more important than practical considerations. You can see these types of people all over the place, and can judge them quickly by reading something they've written, or listening by them speaking.
The world is an incredibly complex place. Things happen for all sorts of reasons, many of which aren't obvious - good things, bad things, strange things, mundane things.
Generally idealists have come up with one, or at least a very few, particular simple ideas about how the world should work. They build up a basic framework of reality in their minds.
They then try to squeeze everything through the filter of that framework. Anything that agrees with it is amplified. Anything that disagrees is rejected or reviled. The framework - the ideas - becomes more important than the evidence.
Here are some examples of idealist frameworks that have caused enormous damage during the twentieth century:
- Other races are sub-human or evil compared to mine.
- It's unjust that some people should be rich while others are poor.
- The internet will destroy all existing businesses.
- America is responsible for all the world's ills.
- My nation is the greatest ever, and deserves unrestrained power.
- My religion is the only moral one, and anyone who doesn't share it is unethical.
I'm sure I don't have to provide you examples of disastrous events that these particular frameworks led to.
One common characteristic of idealists is that they have strong views about how to create a better world. They examine the problems of reality, and see a simple and obvious solution. This solution is then distilled into a framework. It's usually so simple, that it can be summed up in a few well-chosen sentences.
The problem is that reality is far more complex than the idealists realize. Trying to force reality through one or two basic ideas is like trying to drain the ocean through a couple of pinholes. There's simply too much in the world to expect that it can be all boiled down to one or two simple concepts.
Another common characteristic of idealists is their complete lack of self-deprecating humor. They're so sure that they're right - so convinced of their moral superiority - that anything questioning the authority of their beliefs must be completely evil.
It's this belief in their absolute moral authority that makes idealists so dangerous. They see anything that stands in their way as an obstacle to utopia - a barricade between the way the world is now and perfection.
Is it any wonder they can use their ideals to justify the most horrendous crimes imaginable? Think of the worst crimes of the last one hundred years, and you'll almost always find idealism at its roots.
Beware of idealists and their seductive claims of easy answers. If you see someone living life around a few simple ideas, who becomes angry when those ideas are challenged, then you know you're dealing with a person who has the potential to be dangerous.
Life is complex. We all wish it were simpler, but it isn't.
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