EPILOGUE:
Application of Ideas to the Modern
World
During the previous twenty-six chapters we have attempted to
present the basic ideas of several of the great minds of the
Western World. The time spent studying these pages, with
outside readings, and in discussion will have heightened our
awareness of these ideas. Hopefully, the seed has been sown
which will grow into a real and abiding interest in the philoso
phers presented here, as well as others and their ideas. If we can
evaluate these philosophers, and in the process determine which
moral, political, and economic ideas are important to us, we will
have come far. Also, we should be able to use these ideas to help
in the constructing of our own personal philosophy of life. We
shall attempt, as a final project, to apply some of the ideas we
have learned—but first, let us in a brief review, try to crystalize
our thinking.
Each of us enters every study, every experience, with attitudes
and prejudices learned in the home, the culture, the school, from
peers, and the media. An awareness of this fact is an important
step in opening the mind. Often, we organize these attitudes into
classifications of a world view, the two most prevalent being the
conservative and the liberal. Reflection on these two points is
important in beginning the process of application of ideas to real
situations.
Studying theories of truth, logic, and critical thinking is the
part of the the process which leads us to making sound rather than
poor judgments, accurate rather than vague statements, and
thoughtful rather than capricious analyses. Understanding of
fallacies is helpful in recognizing errors, both linguistic and
logical. So, using positive measures to understand better, and
developing the ability to recognize fallacies should help us to
think more clearly and make more reasonable judgments. Fi
nally, the ability to think and write clearly will be valuable not
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