Of course some ideas are bad. But if they are the focus, they can be
rejected. In contrast, if the person is the focus, that person can
have a rich assortment of ideas, some good and some bad. All are
accepted regardless of their quality when the person is the focus.
For example, people supported Bush because he was the kind of person
with whom you would like to share a beer. Besides, he was a born again
Christian. What harm could he do, they would ask. If his policies had
been examined, we might have avoided the present mess. We are now
presented with the same issue in the present election. The question
is, will the voters have learned anything from their past mistake?
Ed
On Sep 14, 2008, at 10:14 AM, Harry Veeder wrote:
I am not sure identification with an idea is necessarily better.
Some ideas, for better or for worse, can encourage or impede
certain kinds of research.
The power of identity can be harnessed for good or bad.
Harry
on 14/9/08 11:55 am, Edmund Storms at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Yes, I understand your point and I agree. Not just Buddha is
worshiped but Christ and many of the "saints" as well. This is
another human need, i.e. to identify with the person rather than
with the idea. Unfortunately, this creates great trouble when the
identification is with the personality of a leader rather than with
his goals and policy. But, it looks like we are stuck with this
characteristic.
Ed
