Bad Ideas

Peace

Peace

Community Member
MBTI
INFJ
Enneagram
4w5
How do you distinguish between bad ideas and ideas that are used badly?

What I mean is that I believe there are some ideas that are just bad. There are also ideas that are good, but they are used by people in the wrong way. Where it is difficult is figuring out if an idea is inherently bad or if the idea is just not being used in the right way.

So how would you distinguish between the two?

For example, I think communism is a bad idea. But how do I know that communism is a bad idea? Maybe communism just hasn't been used in the right way yet.

Or how about religion. How do you know that a religion is a good idea? Lots of religions have been used to do horrible things, but does that mean the religion is a bad idea or just that it has been used in a bad way? How can you distinguish?
 
Well, killing people is a bad idea.

Communism is a good idea that will never be used the right way. There will always be selfish humans who take advantage of the system and will just be lazy, therefore, a true Communist society will never exist/ it will always be corrupted in the end. It's a good idea in theory (perfect, really), but in practice it's horrible and almost always ends badly when used on a large scale (As in a whole country being Communist. Communist-type communities might work for a while on a very small scale if everyone agreed to the rules, but even then it would falter as the second generation was born for they might take advantage of it).

Some ideas are just bad in theory and practice, some are good ideas, but bad in practice (Therefore, they are good ideas), while others are good in both.

Just my views on the matter.
 
"Good idea" = "sounds smart"

"Bad idea" = "sounds dumb"

A good idea would sound like it would work out. A bad idea would sound like it would not work out.

Once the idea is put into play, it is no longer just an idea.
 
niffer said:
"Good idea" = "sounds smart"

"Bad idea" = "sounds dumb"

A good idea would sound like it would work out. A bad idea would sound like it would not work out.

Once the idea is put into play, it is no longer just an idea.
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Bad ideas almost always sound like great ideas in the heat of the moment.

For example, I had no choice but to park in a space that I should not have parked in and got blocked in by a pissed off guy who cared. I asked my friend if it was a bad idea to try to squeeze past his car as it looked as I might be able to. Friend says that's a great idea and I proceed. Pissed off guy storms out. Fun and games ensue. As I drive away I think to myself, "Boy, that was a bad idea!" :whistle:
 
thing is, what do you mean by "bad". If you're referring to ethics or rationality, then that's a little different than "bad" as a synonym for "not preferable" or unfavorable because of personal feeling. It's also relative to time and place. Something can be a good idea in one scenario or situation but not in another. Or something can be a bad idea in one instance but a good idea in another.

And we need to keep in mind that the terms "bad" and "good" are referring to judgments about an idea or value placed on an idea or thing, which makes their description a bit subjective depending on context.

Of course, it's considered unethical to kill someone. And so, it may would be defined as "bad" to do it because it is considered "wrong." However, there are legal and military uses of killing which are not compatible with the definition of killing as "bad" such as self defense in a violent confrontation or defense of a country in a time of war.

We also need to consider the difference between an idea and action. Something can be bad "in theory" but good in action or practice. Or something can seem good in thought, idea, or theory, but not such a great idea when done.
 
Peace said:
How do you distinguish between bad ideas and ideas that are used badly?

What I mean is that I believe there are some ideas that are just bad. There are also ideas that are good, but they are used by people in the wrong way. Where it is difficult is figuring out if an idea is inherently bad or if the idea is just not being used in the right way.

So how would you distinguish between the two?

For example, I think communism is a bad idea. But how do I know that communism is a bad idea? Maybe communism just hasn't been used in the right way yet.

Or how about religion. How do you know that a religion is a good idea? Lots of religions have been used to do horrible things, but does that mean the religion is a bad idea or just that it has been used in a bad way? How can you distinguish?
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ideas are just ideas.
how they are realized is what determines whether they are good or bad - but that is subjective as well. good for who? bad for who?
 
Carrie said:
thing is, what do you mean by "bad". If you're referring to ethics or rationality, then that's a little different than "bad" as a synonym for "not preferable" or unfavorable because of personal feeling. It's also relative to time and place. Something can be a good idea in one scenario or situation but not in another. Or something can be a bad idea in one instance but a good idea in another.

And we need to keep in mind that the terms "bad" and "good" are referring to judgments about an idea or value placed on an idea or thing, which makes their description a bit subjective depending on context.

Of course, it's considered unethical to kill someone. And so, it may would be defined as "bad" to do it because it is considered "wrong." However, there are legal and military uses of killing which are not compatible with the definition of killing as "bad" such as self defense in a violent confrontation or defense of a country in a time of war.

We also need to consider the difference between an idea and action. Something can be bad "in theory" but good in action or practice. Or something can seem good in thought, idea, or theory, but not such a great idea when done.
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Ah, so the qualifier "bad" could be considered too subjective and relative to measure. Considering that the definition of "idea" in itself, as niffer pointed out is rather broad, I will have to think this one out a bit more.
 
After giving it some thought I have decided that the thread question is pointless.

A: Ideas by definition are subjective as they are based on thoughts, feelings, impressions, conceptions, opinions, beliefs, aims, or purposes.
B: Good and bad are qualifiers which are subjective.

As has been said by other posters, ideas are subject to differing subjective interpretation as a result of person, time, context, and situation.

It would seem I would have to look at ideas as a reflection of people rather than as an independently existing entity.

What then could be said of the "power of ideas"? Perhaps it is nothing then but persuasion based on individual circumstances.

How can you assign any value to any opinion or belief then?
 
The physicist Niels Bohr, who promulgated the idea of complementarity in quantum physics, was noted as saying something along the lines of:

- "Two sorts of truth: trivialities, where opposites are obviously absurd, and profound truths, recognised by the fact that the opposite is also a profound truth." As quoted by his son Hans Bohr in "My Father", published in Neils Bohr : His Life and Work (1967), p. 328
- Unsourced variant : "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."
- As quoted in Max Delbr
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Peace said:
It would seem I would have to look at ideas as a reflection of people rather than as an independently existing entity.

What then could be said of the "power of ideas"? Perhaps it is nothing then but persuasion based on individual circumstances.

How can you assign any value to any opinion or belief then?
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i don't think an idea can be an independently existing entity - there must be a mind to form it.
i also don't think there is power in ideas, only in the execution of them.
assigning value to an opinion or belief is up to the individual. again, subjective. does it resonate with your world view, etc?
 
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