More About Ideas

We need to oppose intellectual abortion and enslavement. Parenting of ideas is our common future.

It is not by chance that we refer to “the birth of new ideas.” In fact, ideas require conception, gestation, birth and nurture.  They don’t arise full born and fully grown.  They often need the defense that Ben Franklin gave for scientific discoveries when their usefulness was challenged. “What good are babies?”

Today with a “population explosion” of new ideas, we need more “prenatal” care, better early day care facilities, and greater community support. And we risk that disruptive ideas will run afoul of our intellectual “justice systems.” 

Much should be expected from our educational system. 

Instead, many colleges and universities sponsor intellectual abortion, pressured by Boards and donors and economic forces.  Or perhaps worse, hand over partially developed ideas to established interests that enslave them (patent and intellectual property rights) for their “plantations.” 

Now is the time to pamper ideas.  Play with them.  Give them room to grow.  Instruct them.  Treasure them.  Welcome them into the family of civilized thought.  Given the advantages that we can offer, they will grow into the strong, insightful, far-seeing ideas that will solve pressing problems that now seem insolvable.  They are our future.