Idolize Ideas not People

Human history is a complex web of ideas, people and progress on many different fronts.  If progress can be understood as a type of change that generally moves human society in a positive direction, then one can chart progress in many different areas: technology (including all the sciences and mathematics), language, commerce, ethics, political systems and so on.  Some areas of change are not necessarily positive areas of advancement.  For example, I would describe religion and military change as often retarding the advance of civilization, though certainly they have at times had effects that can be argued as salutary.

Each of these areas has its heroes at different phases of progress that our civilization has acknowledged and placed on pedestals.  Our world is littered with monuments and statues of past heroes, and our history books extol the virtues of these titans with unabashed adoration.  More recently, a whole cottage industry has developed that produces lengthy biographical tomes that catalog the minutest details of the lives of various well-known historical figures.

The Great Man Theory, which became popular in the 19th century, posited that history was defined by the acts of 'great men' and that most of what has been accomplished in this world is due to heroic efforts by a few great men, which then allowed the masses to follow their genius and build upon it.

But as we have investigated the lives of our storied figures, we have routinely discovered that all of them have feet of clay, and that they are, unsurprisingly, all too human.  How often have we spent decades extolling the many virtues of some lionized hero only to be bitterly disappointed as a multitude of sins or ethical lapses come to light?  Moreover, if we look closely at their contributions, we see that they stand on the shoulders of countless unsung others who did as much, if not more, to bring about the advances for which they are heralded. 

For human progress is very rarely a step function or a quantum leap.  On the contrary, it is a slow, dogged march with many a misstep and a long litany of mini-triumphs before a major breakthrough or accomplishment can be cited.

It is humankind itself, in all its striving and hopefulness that relentlessly pushes our civilization forward and deserves our praise.  It is the efforts of the many, not the genius of a few, that allow us to refine our world and polish its rough edges.  It is a thousand experiments in a dozen laboratories, and the ensuing exchange of ideas and techniques, that brings the ‘eureka’ moment.  It is the intellectual heritage of hundreds of writers, philosophers and poets that allows a few well-positioned men to write a Declaration of Independence or a Bill of Rights.

It may be intriguing, and even instructive, to study the lives of men or women who have been present at pivotal times in our history.  It is a very human trait to be curious about other people’s lives and how they end up playing important roles.  To the extent that this veneration can inspire others to contribute to society it may even be somewhat warranted. 

But the hagiography of other human beings is a slippery slope that veers toward a worship of fame and fortune rather than a more appropriate love of the ideas that undergird their accomplishments.  And in my view the worship of fame and fortune is one of the great ills of our society.

The worship of truth and enduring principles is far more helpful than the idolization of a mythologized human actor who plays a role in the drama of unveiling that truth.  It is the pursuit and embrace of ideas and ideals that will draw us upward - let us love them instead!