We imagine ourselves as the initiators of ideas. Creativity and innovation take place in individual minds. Yet research from biology to psychology—from Richard Dawkins’ meme theory to Carl Jung’s archetypes—proposes instead 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. Political ideologies, viral memes, and mass protests demonstrate this dynamic. While philosophers such as Wittgenstein have argued that language is inherently social, suggesting that ideas are impossible in the minds of isolated individuals.
Is it a mistake to see individuals as the origin of ideas and creativity, and if so what are the consequences for how we think about freedom and politics? Can individuals, from Napoleon to Trump, Darwin to Einstein, change history, or are they merely conduits for cultural movements that would happen with or without them? And if we are vehicles for ideas, how should we respond when the ones that possess us become destructive?
