Comparing bad and good ideas: characteristics of good opportunities

¶ … Bad Ideas

The past few decades have literally burst at the seams with the amount of knowledge available to most of the world. This, of course, has been through telecommunications and the Internet. While these cultural changes have certainly changed the way information is both available and delivered, there are some challenges to that information that require a change in approaching the ideas put forth. Namely, the vetting of said information, and an individual's ability to appreciate the quality of sources, and understand that not every piece of information gleaned from the Internet is true, and that there are often needs for more detailed, primary information. The use of multimedia, as well as the ability for people to reach out to other cultures has improved their ability to become global citizens, while also requiring that they accept responsibility for the information they uncover (Kelly, 2009).

The issue of good and bad ideas, though, is somewhat dependent upon the context. For instance, if one has a "hot tip" for a game or race and that idea pans out and the person wins, then the idea is good. If the idea was sound but for whatever reason does not work, then the idea was bad. Similarly, in politics, multiple platforms and decisions must be made at all times. In one sense, there are no "bad" ideas, there are ideas that on a continuum, might work better than others, which is the whole point of public debate, political debate, and even the democratic process of putting ideas forward. The science fiction writer and futurist Arthur C. Clarke epitomized this process of ideation by saying, "New ideas pass through three periods: 1) It can't be done. 2) It probably can't be done, but it's not worth doing. 3) I knew it was a good idea all along." Thus, the positive or negative issues of ideas are dependent upon who tries them and how they work.

At times, at least in Western philosophy, though, ideas and knowledge must be true and verifiable to be good. It is the function of knowledge that truth is at the base, but it is how we as humans slice and dice the information, how we ponder, bring in past experiences, tie together other thoughts and ideas, and ultimately actualize a unique and individual set of ideas that makes an idea "worthwhile." For instance, the term logic when applied to good or bad ideas implies that good ideas are logical, bad ideas are illogical. But the subject of logic examines arguments and how logic is verified. Truth must be verifiable for it to be truth, but as we also know, truth is situational (killing is bad, but not always bad -- e.g. self-defense, war, to save others, etc.). But instead, it is the skill of vetting sources, of analyzing what bias or point-of-view a certain author or text might purport that brings humans to a logical conclusion that may be verifiable as well (Gutek, 2008).