Reply 1. - Tony
Author R. C. Sproul shares in his book, The Consequences of Ideas, that ideas can be powerful. Many leaders have taken that power and used it for negative and not for good, sometimes dismissing those whose ideas are different from their own. This dismissal is an example of how ideas can have negative consequences. Conversely, the consequences of ideas can be good. The consequences of religious or Christian ideas have had a powerful effect on individuals, shaping their behavior and treating others who may be different from them.
It is common to believe ideas and views about the world and how diverse people are included in the workplace are shaped by upbringing, culture, religious affiliation, or geography. Maybe less common is understanding how the inclusiveness of diverse people within companies is influenced by philosophy. Philosophy influences ideas much earlier in history than any of these factors. Companies' struggle with attracting, hiring, and retaining diverse candidates may go further back than a generation or two.
Some ideas focusing on inclusion can be linked back to a critical philosopher, Karl Marx, who posed four distinct aspects of alienation workers. The four aspects include nature, himself, his species-being, and other beings (Sproul, 2000, p. 140). "Alienation generally means that a person is disconnected from themselves, others and their social context in a normatively relevant way" (Forst, 2017). Marx believed that workers, no matter how highly paid they were, owned nothing and were therefore just "highly paid slave[s]" (Sproul, 2000, p.140). One could argue that diverse employees still feel alienated within their organizations today, working in organizations where they are not valued, their voice is not heard, and they do not feel included.
Another philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, introduced the three stages of life. In these, individuals could live as spectators, embrace and do what is right, and finally, exercise a passion for doing what is right. Psalm 34:14 tells us to "turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it" (New American Standard Version Bible, 1971/2020). As Christians, we have the free will to do what is right. The more we understand the concepts that have influenced Western civilization over time, the better choices we will make and the more significant opportunity we have to understand the consequences of our ideas.
References
Forst, R. (2017). Noumenal Alienation: Rousseau, Kant and Marx on the Dialectics of Self-Determination. Kantian Review, 22(4), 523-551. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1017/S1369415417000267
New American Standard Version Bible. (2020). New American Standard Bible. https://nasb.literalword.com/ (Original work published 1971)
Sproul, R. C. (2000). The consequences of ideas: understanding the concepts that shaped our world. Crossway Books
Reply 2 - Tanisha
The consequences of ideas are either good or bad. Ideas are powerful tools influencing our thoughts, our behaviors and our perspectives. It is crucial to understand how these thoughts create the foundation on which we stand. By understanding the power of thoughts, a person has an opportunity to potentially shape and control the consequences that proceed. Philosophical forefathers set the wheels in motion years ago to extend the scope of one’s thinking. Sproul (2000) highlights some of history’s main philosophers i.e. Plato, Descartes, and Freud and explains how their theories and main ideas shaped Western culture. Ideas are powerful tools influencing our thoughts, our behaviors and our perspectives. It is crucial to understand how these thoughts create the foundation on which we stand. A familiarity of how these thoughts are used as powerful tools to shape us as individuals, can induce the likelihood of our ability to uplift and pursue the works of Christ throughout the world. Ideas precede products. Ancient philosophers sought to understand the surrounding world while acknowledging that knowledge and wisdom are interrelated ideas (Sproul, 2000, p. 12). These same philosophers laid the groundwork for foundational thinking. Foundational is based on the notion of first principles or basic truths (p. 9). Instead of creating a world, we inhabit a world and culture that already exists. Both historical and modern-day thinkers still have a profound impact on us. By developing a familiarity with the thoughts that have flooded Western culture, the greater an opportunity for Christians to influence and encourage a Christ based culture. A familiarity of how these thoughts are used as powerful tools to shape us as individuals, induces the likelihood of our ability to uplift and pursue the works of Christ throughout the world.
References
Sproul, R. C. (2000). The consequences of ideas: Understanding the concepts that shaped our world.