A
question from the Hat O'Wisdom -
Is
an idea more 'real' than the material?
It would be
quite easy to answer this question from an existentialist point-of-view and,
truth be told, that was to be the source of my initial answer. However, upon
further consideration, I do not think that the question can be 'brushed aside'
quite so easily.
I am of the
opinion that an idea, having been created at a subconscious or conscious level,
can be more real to an individual than the material. I think anything that is
created by an individual will always have strong connections to its maker, be
the connections tangible or intangible/material or immaterial. Such connections
will make an idea real by instilling, within its creator, associated emotions
and sensations. If the material is defined by signals sent to and interpreted
by the brain, then signals containing idea-associated emotions and sensations
can be just as real as the material. The question of being more real than the
material, I believe, is entirely dependent upon the individual's need, or want,
to maintain their emotive associations to their idea. For example: if a
poverty-striken child has an idea that they believe could transform their
poverty into financial wealth, then it is quite possible that the hope they
associate with their idea could be of such a magnitude to make it, for them,
more real than the material and possibly more real than their present.
Similarly, a playwright creating a new script will mentally visualise their idea
and obsess over it before it takes any material form: it is quite possible
that, at this moment, the playwright's idea is far more 'real' to them than the
physical/material staging of their play.
The area of
intellectual copyright law has an interesting view on this topic. It is stated
in UK law that an intellectual work is protected by copyright once it is
recorded in a tangible form. However, this is merely to prove ownership of the
creation, there is nothing to say that the idea/creation is not real before it
is recorded.
By Daniel
The Philosophy Takeaway 'Open Topic' Issue 33
