Re: "Ideas have a life of their own" (Origin of Quote?)

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> >Steven Thiele wrote:
> >Take a look at Kierkegaard's _The Concept of Irony_, which I believe has
a
> >comment about ideas having a history, a birth, death and life.
>
> Hmm. "Life" occurs only 4 times in the essay and none of them are
> associated with "idea" or "ideas." "Idea" occurs 4 times in this
> paragraph. I have added white space in an attempt to make it
> readable. The connection to the quote origin is foggy. Part of that may
> be because this essay was translated out of Danish. If anyone wants to
> comment, be my guest.
>
> Keith Henson
>
> The World-Historical Validity
> of Irony,
> the Irony of Socrates
>
> [...]
> insofar
> as the _idea_ is concrete in itself, it is necessary for it to become
> continually what it is-that is, become concrete. But this can occur only
> through generations and individuals.

Kierkegaard is treating the idea as a thing in itself. It has a goal, and it pursues its self-fulfillment by way of human minds. In granting agency to the idea in place of consciousness, K. is here speaking memetically.

Ted

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