Discussion Post: The Consequences of Ideas
In the book Consequence of Ideas, Sproul, (2000) discussed how our
thoughts have formed the world around us and ultimately, our
experiences. Sproul, (2000) discussed how history and our thoughts have
developed over time. Sproul, (2000) added our daily interactions such as
policy making, education, theology, and simple conversations with friends.
He notices that our day-to-day choices in turn become consequences for
our future and the generations following. Sproul (2000) was able to do this
by adding the ideas and thoughts of western philosophers. Sproul (2000)
annotates how simple languages and definitions change across different
settings and discussions (Sproul, pg. 76). Sproul made a great association
with the title of this book, “The Consequences of Ideas.”
,
Sproul quotes “philosophy forces us to think foundationally. By
foundationally, I mean first principles or basic truths.” (Sproul, pg.9.),
Sproul hypothesized that our thoughts are stemmed from the experiences
we encounter and the thoughts of previous generations. Sproul argued
that no one has started their life without any passed-down information.
People, innately, have continued building upon the foundation of the
thoughts of other people. Sproul continued to argue that many people
who enter the world, allow themselves to be comfortable with the way in
which the world operates. However, very seldomly do you find a person
who has created all their thoughts and based their experiences on their
knowledge alone. Sproul examined "accepted reality", being that nobody
challenges the thoughts of today. Individuals who go into the world, figure
out how to adjust to their current circumstances dependent on thoughts
that have been at first imparted upon them. Sproul encourages us to
recognize our own thoughts and how our current circumstances have
shaped those thoughts. Sproul pinpoints an exceptionally basic piece
inside his book. He expressed to not pondering something is
incomprehensible. In this text, Sproul urges us to have our own thoughts
and to think with respect to ourselves, and our current circumstances in
the world that we live in today. After carefully examining this text, I have
realized that there are areas inside my life that I’d like to reexamine.
Furthermore, I do believe that it is difficult for one to know that they are
living through the thoughts and experiences of others until they reach a
comprehensible stage. As a baby, I will not know that my mother or father
is teaching me from their experience. It is not until I become of age and I
am able to identify the difference between my experiences and my
parents' experiences, that am I able to reexamine my life and make the
necessary adjustments.
References
Sproul, R.C. (2000). The consequences of ideas: Understanding the
concepts that shaped our world.
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