The Problem Of The Idea Poem by Lonnie Hicks

The Philosopher:

'The Problem of the 21st century
is the problem of the Origins of the Idea.'

The Idea has driven much
of human history-
a major motivator
many taken together are
Articulators;
Ideas compose all Human Dreams.

But ask what is this Idea
and silence ensues;
ask where is it
in the human mind
and we'll get charts of its activity centers
but nothing about what it is
or where it comes from.

The Scientist:

Well, we don't have to know what a thing is
to utilize it.
We can identify behaviors and integrate
them-
harness them to purpose.

Philosopher:

Sure like the Atomic Bomb. It was built because
we could integrate various disciplines
and make things go bang
without thinking of Consequence.
technical Ideas-too have consequences.

Scientist:

So you would hold up all human progress
until the over-arching Idea comes along
before we act?

Philosopher:
Ah, but note that progress that destroys
the planet is not
progress at all
but only a blind mistake;
one I might add,
that did not have
an Idea or Clue
of what lesser ideas about tinkering
could and might signal or include.

So here my point and drift
good ideas are hard to find;
cleaver ideas
like a bomb
are easier to advance.

Cosmologist:

Well here is my notion-
I hesitate to say Idea-
but there is only a little drift
between you and
the neo-Kantians
who claim Plato's Ideation
may have an empirical base.

I know, 'heavens' such an outcome;
but contemplate
Astronomy's 'Inflation Theory'
Cosomology's dark energy and matter
the implication that every electron
is 'aware' of the charge
of it's matching
opposite charge
and 'reacts' to changes
across all our known universe;
and you will have lot of 'I told you so's'
coming from the ancients.

So if human history has been driven
by Grand Ideas political, social, and scientific,
we have a need know then
what is an Idea and where
does it comes from;
and even if a great new idea
does surface
and is entirely new
how is that an entirely new idea
can be understood and acted upon
by others who did not share in its generation?

If only two people in the world can understand an
Idea, what does that mean for History?

So Idea Generation and Transmission are therefore
of one cloth and shall we say comprehendable
only by Cosmology's 'Inflation'?

Muse:

Well, if all Ideas generate in the mind
and assuming mind has a physical base
in generating mental things,
the assumption, too, must be that
the electrons of the mind are, too,
'popping in and out of the universe
in that same mind
as all Quantum things.

So are we here
dealing with the ' Mind As Portal'
between multi-existences
and Ideas are merely transmission
artifacts of that activity?

'Humm, said the Scientist
how would you study that?

Muse:
We are all becoming Poets are we not?
Poets of the Electron Dream.

Poet:

All knowledge comes from dreaming
and math, this is Einstein
but how are dreams possible
is yet
to be answered.

Yet we do dream
and we need to also ask
what is the archeology of the dream?

'The Muse said
And too,
'who is doing the Dreaming? '

Kant smiles.



So, what is the dictionary definition of 'Idea'?


i⋅ de⋅ a
    /aɪ ˈ diə , aɪ ˈ diə / Show Spelled Pronunciation [ahy-dee-uh, ahy-deeuh] Show IPA
–noun
1. any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
2. a thought, conception, or notion: That is an excellent idea.
3. an impression: He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department.
4. an opinion, view, or belief: His ideas on raising children are certainly strange.
5. a plan of action; an intention: the idea of becoming an engineer.
6. a groundless supposition; fantasy.
7. Philosophy.
a. a concept developed by the mind.
b. a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal.
c. (initial capital letter) Platonism. Also called form. an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being.
d. Kantianism. idea of pure reason.
8. Music. a theme, phrase, or figure.
9. Obsolete.
a. a likeness.
b. a mental image.
Origin:
1400–50; LL Gk idéā form, pattern, equiv. to ide- (s. of ideîn to see) + -ā fem. n. ending; r. late ME idee MF LL, as above; akin to wit 1

Related forms:
i⋅ de⋅ a⋅ less, adjective

Synonyms:
1,2. Idea, thought, conception, notion refer to a product of mental activity. Idea, although it may refer to thoughts of any degree of seriousness or triviality, is commonly used for mental concepts considered more important or elaborate: We pondered the idea of the fourth dimension. The idea of his arrival frightened me. Thought, which reflects its primary emphasis on the mental process, may denote any concept except the more weighty and elaborate ones: I welcomed his thoughts on the subject. A thought came to him. Conception suggests a thought that seems complete, individual, recent, or somewhat intricate: The architect's conception delighted them. Notion suggests a fleeting, vague, or imperfect thought: a bare notion of how to proceed.4. sentiment, judgment.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc.2009.
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