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How would you defeat an idea?

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posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:04 PM
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I just watched a TV shows who's "moral of the story" was to state that "once an idea has been born it can not be stopped, it can not be defeated"

This of course is a topical trope in many dramas and in real life.

We all know of the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword" penned by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

Or the story of Jesus of Nazareth and his small group of disciples who went from persecuted wretches to the rulers of empires.

But is the moral always true? Can an idea be defeated? I ask all the wannabe despots here on ATS ... How would you go about defeating an idea?



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:08 PM
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With the truth.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:14 PM
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With a better idea.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:18 PM
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originally posted by: PurpleFox
With the truth.


Well said.

Truth wins in the end. It always does.

P

edit on 2/1/2020 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:32 PM
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a reply to: DanDanDat

Hi Triple-D. Thanks for the thought-exercise.

Are you interested in describing what an 'idea' is, as compared to a concept, belief, opinion, etc ?

Also: why the interest in "defeating" ?



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:49 PM
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originally posted by: pheonix358

originally posted by: PurpleFox
With the truth.


Well said.

Truth wins in the end. It always does.

P

In the end yes, but in the meantime centuries and millennia pass with the same idea integrating itself into generation after generation.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:50 PM
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originally posted by: JBIZZ
With a better idea.


Exactly. Make the old idea obsolete.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:57 PM
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originally posted by: pheonix358

originally posted by: PurpleFox
With the truth.


Well said.

Truth wins in the end. It always does.

P


I agree.. truth always wins in the end...only problem is sometimes it takes awhile for the end to come and all truth be revealed. Some may be convinced they know the truth, but in reality they have been deceived to believe in untruths. Some even deceive themselves over what the real truth is because of their personal agendas.

Truth is powerful... sometimes sad.. often elusive... but it will win in the end.. and people will not be able to hide behind their deceit any longer.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 09:58 PM
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Defeated with a better idea but the original idea never goes away.

So, no, it can't be defeated.

ETA: Smoking is healthy. We all know that's wrong but some smokers will still subscribe to it.
edit on 1/2/2020 by Admitted because: (no reason given)



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:02 PM
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originally posted by: Nothin
a reply to: DanDanDat

Hi Triple-D. Thanks for the thought-exercise.

Are you interested in describing what an 'idea' is, as compared to a concept, belief, opinion, etc ?

Also: why the interest in "defeating" ?


I was thinking an "idea" could be any of those things; concept, belief, opinion ... or likely all of them at the same time.

There clearly has to be some emotional capital behind the idea. "I like the color red" is an idea; but not one that really needs to be defeated for any good or ill reason.

"All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is an idea with emotional (and even physical) capital. It might be "the truth" or it might not be. There might be "a better idea". But still its an idea with much weight and support behind it ... how can it be defeated ... assuming that was one's goal?



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:02 PM
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a reply to: DanDanDat

There is an updated version...

Facebook is mightier than the sword...



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:05 PM
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a reply to: DanDanDat

With facts, common sense, and obvious conclusions / end results on what will happen if implemented if it is a bad idea.


You know, like giving everyone in the country a million dollars a year and wondering why a house now cost 50 million bucks and money is worthless.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:09 PM
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How do you defeat an idea?

1) Lie
2) obfuscate
3) Ad hom the truth teller ie the Gretta syndrome
4) Recruit an army of unwilling aka The Facebook/Russian gang
6) Repeat



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:10 PM
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a reply to: DanDanDat




But is the moral always true? Can an idea be defeated? I ask all the wannabe despots here on ATS ... How would you go about defeating an idea?


It doesn’t take much to defeat an idea. They seem to be defeated everyday as they stay in the idea stage and never come to fruition. The idea is just the first mental stimulant.. it must be followed by action to live otherwise it just dies as an unused idea.🤷🏻‍♀️



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:16 PM
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a reply to: DanDanDat

You take the truth and twist it with something very close to the truth but just slightly different. You change the language so that old words have new meanings and no one using the same word mean the same things. If we cannot communicate, we cannot transmit the idea.

It's happening now all around us.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:18 PM
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Hold your tongue



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:27 PM
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originally posted by: MysticalBible
Hold your tongue


Seems like an odd way to kill an idea but it may work in the essence of not sharing it with others.
I see this is your first day here MysticalBible.. welcome to ATS



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 10:58 PM
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a reply to: DanDanDat

Depends on what you mean by "defeat."

If you mean eradicate an idea from all human consciousness, I don't think that's possible. If an idea can occur once, then given a sufficient human population and enough time, the idea can occur again.

The best you can do is keep the believers on an idea down to a low segment of the population. Think 100th Monkey. You can ridicule believers, vilify them, ostracize them, punish them, if necessary, kill them. But if you try to kill them all, eventually, the idea will be reborn because everyone has forgotten about it.



posted on Jan, 2 2020 @ 11:55 PM
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You can't. You can just counter it. No thought is an obstacle, but an opportunity.



posted on Jan, 3 2020 @ 01:09 AM
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originally posted by: DanDanDat
I just watched a TV shows who's "moral of the story" was to state that "once an idea has been born it can not be stopped, it can not be defeated"

This of course is a topical trope in many dramas and in real life.

We all know of the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword" penned by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

Or the story of Jesus of Nazareth and his small group of disciples who went from persecuted wretches to the rulers of empires.

But is the moral always true? Can an idea be defeated? I ask all the wannabe despots here on ATS ... How would you go about defeating an idea?


Censorship. Even the truth can be defeated by the flame.







 
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