We tend to think of ourselves as the originators of ideas, that creativity and innovation begin in individual minds. Yet research from biology to psychology—from Richard Dawkins’ meme theory to Carl Jung’s archetypes—suggests that we act as hosts for ideas rather than creating them ourselves. Psychologists from Washington University describe ideas as spreading like “social contagions"; once shared through enough of a network, they reinforce themselves, outpacing individual choice, almost as if ideas have a life and will of their own. Political ideologies, viral memes, and mass protests demonstrate this dynamic. While philosophers such as Wittgenstein have argued that language is a purely social phenomenon, suggesting that ideas as we know them are impossible in the minds of truly isolated individuals.
If ideas are collective, rather than individual, what are the consequences for how we think about freedom, metaphysics, and politics? Do singular people, from Napoleon to Trump, change history, or are they merely conduits for cultural movements? And if ideas themselves are driving humanity forward, how should we respond when the ones that possess us become destructive?
