Do you want the world to change? It needs to. But it won’t unless people change their ideas.
Is it possible to change ideas? Not according to Dr. Leonard Peikoff, the American philosopher who holds that both our smallest ideas—concepts—and our largest ones—philosophies—are immutable.
Is it a surprise to learn he’s a pessimist?
By contrast, I am an optimist because I know ideas can change—any ideas at all. Whether they should be changed is a matter of rational judgment. But change them you can.
This website is my proof of that assertion.
It is also a declaration of the possibility of beneficial change in any man-made sphere, which is the essence of optimism.
I begin with the widest question first: is philosophy immutable?
Ⓒ Tom Minchin 2017. All rights reserved.
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