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The Consequences of Ideas: A Summary
PSYC700
April 30, 2022
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The Consequences of Ideas is a book written by R C Sproul that explores the ideas of
philosophy floated by many philosophers of the time. The book includes the philosophical ideas
of Plato to Freud in an effort to know how philosophy can be applied to reality. The book
explores how philosophers have shaped the course of humanities and sociology with the help of
their philosophical ideas (Sproul & Runnette, 2010).
Therefore, the title Consequences of Ideas. The book Consequences of Ideas discusses
the many ideas that philosophers have had over the centuries and what have been the
consequences of these ideas in reality. In fact, in the introduction of the book, it is mentioned
that although Christian teachers discourage students from study of philosophy and ask them to
beware of losing knowledge of the ideas of philosophy, the truth is one needs to be aware of
something to beware of it (Sproul & Runnette, 2010). Therefore, a blind eye toward
philosophical ideas is discouraged in the book. It would seem the author examines philosophical
ideas and their consequences, as well as how they relate to reality, in a bid to establish the truth
behind them.
The author takes philosophical ideas and teachings seriously because he believes that the
ideas are a product of man’s observation of his surroundings (Kahle & Robbins, 2014). As God
says that he is revealed through nature, philosophical ideas and conclusions drawn from man’s
thoughts and observations reveal God to him. By accurate observations and philosophical ideas,
our true reality as created by God is revealed to us.
With the use of the Love of Wisdom term in the book, the author tries to separate
knowledge or science from philosophy and philosophical ideas that have existed for centuries.
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The author provides a concise, summarized view of the great philosophical ideas that have had
consequences on human thought and society for years.
The book starts with the philosophical ideas of Pythagoras, Archimedes, Socrates, and
Plato. These great philosophers have founded the ideas of scepticism, realism and idealism on
which later philosophical thoughts have been based. For example, Aristotle is referred to as the
founder of formal logic as he set forth the fundamentals on which formal logic is defined.
(Sproul, 2018, pg.41) The author draws a parallel between Christianity and the effect the ideas
of these founding philosophers had by saying that these initial philosophical ideas had the same
effect on barbarians by saving their conscience and thought, just like Christianity had the same
salutary effect. Therefore, the author tries to convey that human civilization was saved and
progressed further with the help of these philosophical ideas.
According to the book (Sproul, 2018, pg. 52), Ideas of Augustine refer to ideas as logos
spermatikoi. In other words, ideas are the divine spark that is within every person. On the other
hand, Epicureans saw ideas as the liberating force that freed humans from the chains of religion.
Sproul thus goes on to balance opposing ideas and keep a neutral stance to understand the truth
behind these ideas. This makes it clear how opposing ideas often overlap in certain areas.
The key theme of the book that applies to my research area and I can use in my research
paper is how philosophy and ideas that have arisen over the years are relevant and help humans
stay wise and knowledgeable. For example, although Christianity dismisses the ideas of
philosophy and does not attach any relevance to it for students, philosophy is how ideas of the
human mind come to the fore and have an impact on society (Harris et al., 2018). With the help
of philosophical ideas, humanities and sociology have been shaped. Ideas from the human mind
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are indeed created from the ability of observation and thought that humans possess. Ideas and
philosophies have consequences, and these consequences need not be negative. Many times the
consequences of these ideas are positive and transformative for human society. Therefore, these
philosophical ideas are relevant even today. Ideas created and shared help broaden the
perspective of men, which helps them discover new knowledge bases and abilities. The arising
of ideas and their use is a natural process for humans who have the ability of thought and
expression. Philosophy is also a knowledge base that keeps evolving as ideas join with new
ideas and evolve into new philosophies. From ideas and philosophies, human creativity and
decisions arise. Philosophical ideas have the power of influence to a great extent. It is because
of this influence that books such as Consequences of Ideas are in circulation. To dismiss
philosophy is to take away the power of thought and ideation from a human. Philosophy and
ideas are the higher power that humans have over other creatures that give us a distinct
conscience (Harris et al., 2018). With the help of philosophy and debate, a human can know and
understand his surroundings. Only with the knowledge and understanding of his surroundings a
man can go deeper into newer truths. The more we go towards the truth, the more clear ideas
form in our minds. Without the truth, there are no ideas, and without an idea, there is no quest
for the truth. Men have the unique quality of knowing their past and present in order to visualize
their future. Without thoughts and ideas, as well as the application of philosophy, these aspects
of human life are not clear.
Ideas have existed in the human mind since he realized that he has the power of thought
and expression. When these thoughts are shared with society and applied to real-life situations,
there are consequences. Therefore, to these consequences, reality overlaps with ideas. The
relevance of philosophy is in its sharing and circulation among people. For example, the way
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philosophies were put forth by Socrates, and John Locke are discussed in the book by Sprouls.
These philosophies have had a profound impact on society during their time and even after their
lifetime. On the other hand, from these ideas, the ideas of scepticism, realism and idealism arise.
Ideas are not limited to a certain area, and they evolve through ages as philosophers add new
ideas and conclusions to existing ideas. The power of observation, deduction and conclusion
helps humans to reach a decisive point with an idea (Kahle & Robbins, 2014). As ideas evolve
and have the power to shape human actions and society, the study of philosophy and the use of
fundamental ideas of philosophy cannot be discredited from relevance. Even in present-day
society, the basic ideas of philosophy and newer ideas arising from it have an impact on people
and their actions. Therefore, philosophy and ideas have held relevance and continue to do so.
Philosophy is not an idle pursuit that students should beware of. Rather students can use
fundamental ideas of philosophy to give an edge to their own ideas.
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References
Harris, J. I., Usset, T., Voecks, C., Thuras, P., Currier, J., & Erbes, C. (2018). Spiritually
integrated care for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial of “Building Spiritual Strength”.
Psychiatry Research, 267, 420-428.
Kahle, P. A., & Robbins, J. M. (2014). The power of spirituality in therapy: Integrating
spiritual and religious beliefs in mental health practice. Routledge.
Sproul, R. C., & Runnette, S. (2010). The consequences of ideas. Ligonier Ministries.
