2/14/16 - Did you know that the word "idiot" originally meant someone who is not socially interested (in matters such as religion or politics). Therefore, it's origin is very ideological. Meaning, the idea that a person who is socially disinterested is an "idiot" is the product of a general consensus that such disinterest is negative. I am a very stupid person for not giving a damn about the things that EVERYONE cares about, right? I think it really means that the socially-inclined population should take such people as "uneducated", but what seems debatable to me is whether the subjects of religion and politics are actually subjects which uphold principles of enlightenment. The real definition of an idiot should probably be something like, "someone lacking a general capacity for enlightened thought with no desire to examine whether or not they are ignorant". I say the definition that comes from ancient Greece is ideological because it is biased to current beliefs of the local culture. You get called an idiot for not submitting to social norms. If THAT is the real basis which people use in proclaiming your idiocy, then the word loses it's meaning to simplistic social allegiance. Allegiance for the sake of being allegiant is not enlightened, and could certainly be called "idiotic" and ideological. I'm sure the word was misused frequently then, as it is by biased individuals today. |