Idealism: is it good, or is it evil? Idealism, the allure of the ideal, motivates us to attempt to attain that ideal, to claim the prize of perfection. The world is surely a better place overall for the many who have visualized and sought a better way. So, idealism is a good thing, right?
In the long run, overall, idealism probably is a good thing. But it is a very dangerous thing. The quest for imaginary future utopias can blind us to the tragedies facing real people right now. In the 20th century alone, hundreds of millions of people were sacrificed on the alter of idealism.
Adolph Hitler imagined he was making the world a better place, as did Josef Stalin and Mao Tse-tung. They were not unique. The pagans who killed the Christian martyrs and the Christians who killed heretics were just upholding their ideals. Most modern wars have had idealistic justifications, and idealists have probably killed more people through misguided economic policies than through war.
And it is not just a problem of people dying. Much suffering comes of attempting to live in ideal worlds of our imaginations rather than the real world around us. Our stubborn idealism can bring suffering not only to ourselves, but also to those around us. Too often, we let our unachievable imaginary ideals prevent our seeking the achievable good. Leading abolitionists of 19th-century America despised Abraham Lincoln because he was not idealistic enough, though he became the leader who eventually defeated slavery.
So, is idealism good, or is it evil? Yes, it is.
Posted 2021/03/02