&nbsp;Idea

Ideas are solutions to a need. Without need there is no requirement for an idea. The need may only be something that would be 'nice' to have but it is still a need. A simple example is the iPod. Someone said it'd be nice to be able to listen to any of your favourite tunes when moving around - the rest is history.

Need, however vaccuous, is the driving force for ideas. Even the need for the inventor to 'create' the need or at least imagine they have created the need. However it's more likely the inventor has only spotted a need and devises a means of satisfying that need. The denser the population the greater will be their needs and so the greater the chances that new ideas will be generated. That is why as the population densities get higher the rate of inventions accelerates or if it doesn't accelerate then the diffusion of ideas accelerate. That applies to societies in which there are wide disparities between the educated upper classes and the uneducated lower classes. In such societies they then slowly see that education is the fundamental 'need' for all. But the below-average intelligence group, and that's 50% of the population, remain the underclass. The trick then is to balance the society in such a way that the underclass are not a de-stabilising element to the society as a whole. Love or hate the underclass, they are here to stay - forever. Ideas are then needed to maintain that balance of needs between the haves and the have nots. Some societies are better at that than others and those that prove to be poor at it will in the end decline because they will need to spend an ever increasing percentage of thier wealth in dealing with the problems so created rather than preventing them with good ideas at an earlier date.

Assisted Solution

02.05.2007 at 10:30AM PST, ID: 18469912

>Have you ever had an idea?
>Have you ever experienced an idea?
>Where did it come from?
>What did you do with it?
>Where did it go?

Just to look at some definitions...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idea
An idea (Greek: ιδέα) is a specific thought or concept that arises in the mind of a person as a result of thinking. The term arises in both popular and philosophical terminology.

http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=idea
S: (n) idea, thought (the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about) "it was not a good idea"; "the thought never entered my mind"
S: (n) mind, idea (your intention; what you intend to do) "he had in mind to see his old teacher"; "the idea of the game is to capture all the pieces"
S: (n) idea (a personal view) "he has an idea that we don't like him"
S: (n) estimate, estimation, approximation, idea (an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth) "an estimate of what it would cost"; "a rough idea how long it would take"
S: (n) theme, melodic theme, musical theme, idea ((music) melodic subject of a musical composition) "the theme is announced in the first measures"; "the accompanist picked up the idea and elaborated it"

Assisted Solution

02.05.2007 at 10:58AM PST, ID: 18470145

It seems that an idea can be quite fundamental, such as a thought; and on the other hand it can be fairly developed, as a result of further thinking, that has some potential value.

"I can make a risotto instead of giving the leftover rice to the dogs"

To my mind an idea is something simple, sudden, spontaneous, and no reason can be ascribed to it's cause, as it's origins are unconscious.

"I can telephone my client on the way to work, and save time"

When the idea occurs, things you are already aware of connect in a new way, to create a new thing. The neural connections just like connecting up, even if nonsense results.

"What about flying this 747 upside down?"

And sometimes devasting results:

"What about using a passenger liner as a human missile?"

It's as if the one property of the brain is to continually rewire part of itself, to create new things. Perhaps this rewiring is going on quite rapidly, without any meaningful purpose. Perhaps most of the rewired things are thrown away. But some kind of selection goes on, which allows certain ideas to propogate, and break through the threshold of consciousness. This is the birth of an idea. If we give it attention, then it is strengthed and reinforced, and becomes more or less persistent.

"Religions are the cause of all wars"

Sometimes we may even be identified with an idea...

Assisted Solution

02.05.2007 at 11:01AM PST, ID: 18470165

...

>Can I patent my idea?
My idea?

Can I copyright my idea?
My idea??

Can I sell my idea for billions to Chairman Gates?
My idea???

Assisted Solution

02.05.2007 at 11:40AM PST, ID: 18470519

"Religions are the cause of all wars"

or perhaps more appropriately

"Religions often help to justify wars"

Assisted Solution

02.05.2007 at 11:42AM PST, ID: 18470546

Ideas are cheap and easy to come by. Ideas that can be converted into reality are of value. However ideas can be just for the sake of entertainment e.g. Pan's Labyrinth

Assisted Solution

02.05.2007 at 11:48AM PST, ID: 18470603

PatrikaB, ideas may be right or wrong. I agree with your statement, but the ideas like "Religions are the cause of all wars" and "Money is the root of all evil" still arise, and can be subject to further development.

The half-baked idea. The idea of baking ideas is an interesting idea, and consistant with the idea expressed earlier of ideas becoming persistant if attention is given to them. Presuambly, attention brings scrutiny and re-evaluation, and modfication.

Assisted Solution

02.05.2007 at 12:06PM PST, ID: 18470746

Jason210 - Yes indeed, and no doubt that is worthy of debate - but perhaps not here otherwise I can feel people getting twitchy about my strong views on religion. :) Patrick

Assisted Solution

02.11.2007 at 02:11AM PST, ID: 18509761

[124/252]
Jason210 > To my mind an idea is something simple, sudden, spontaneous, and no reason can be ascribed to it's cause, as it's origins are unconscious.
> "I can telephone my client on the way to work, and save time"

I don't want to disagree, but aren't the two at least a little different? Something seemingly new, and something that may be of use for situation, where the problem and solution are already part of one's history?

> My idea???

;-)

patrickab > Labyrinth

hmm, I thought they had value. No so sure am I about the more common mazes for rat's and whatsoever

Jason210 > The idea of baking ideas is an interesting idea, and consistant with the idea expressed earlier of ideas

:-))
and What good is subconsicous if one doesn't use it to cook up some goodies without continual forethought?

02.11.2007 at 02:16AM PST, ID: 18509769

From the days of genesis, was there not a general meeting of the clan when one stood up to render a:

"I've an idea, how about we bake up some humans"

Was it

(a) a last idea
or
(b) a lasting idea
?

02.11.2007 at 02:22AM PST, ID: 18509778

Sunbow

>I don't want to disagree, but aren't the two at least a little different?
>Something seemingly new, and something that may be of use fo
>situation, where the problem and solution are already part of one's history?

I think about it and see what ideas come up :-)

Assisted Solution

02.11.2007 at 03:14AM PST, ID: 18509843

Maybe if you can find a little more 'energy'...

02.11.2007 at 03:42AM PST, ID: 18509870

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http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Images/light%20bulb_tcm21-50502.jpg
"Person with idea":
http://www.bankstowncity.nsw.gov.au/env/yourHome/images/ESH_Idea-Light-Bulb.gif
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/whybother/action/images/eureka-small.gif
http://www.fullerton.edu/it/news/Publications/telecommunique/2001/apr01/idea.gif
http://tony.dowler.com/images/idea.jpg
http://www2.ups.edu/arches/graphics/batemanself.gif
http://www.emsnetwork.com/cartoons/Drawings/cartoon_12.jpg
http://www.contextmag.com/archives/200008/images/GreatLie.gif
http://images.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_SM/0093-0609-2311-1315_SM.jpg
http://images.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_SM/0093-0609-1418-4640_SM.jpg
http://www.nataliedee.com/101705/dog-ideas-are-never-good-ideas.jpg
http://www.londonstimes.us/toons/cartoons/Slug.jpg
http://www.painsupport.co.uk/newsletter/milletseed.jpg
http://www.conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/boblang/images/goodidea.jpg
http://www.conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/boblang/images/noidea.jpg
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~denyss/eg5.jpg
http://www.engelhardt.at/bilder/pp-blitzidee.gif
http://www.after16.org.uk/images/3_4.gif
http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Police/Images/starcrit.jpg
http://www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/54/images/cycology.gif
http://healthlawblog.blogspot.com/markstein.gif
http://www.catholicleague.org/2002report/images/ramirez0606.gif
http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/images/aeonflux-cartoon10.jpg
< "well, you get the idea"
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/graphics/clipart/char_idea.gif
http://www.pritchettcartoons.com/cartoons/bulbs.jpg

02.26.2007 at 08:29PM PST, ID: 18614699