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The Consequences of Ideas: A Summary
PSYC700
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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).
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With the help of philosophical ideas, humanities and sociology have been shaped. Ideas from
the human mind 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
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relevance of philosophy is in its sharing and circulation among people. For example, the way
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.
