Theory [edit]
Learning does not make one learned: there are those who have knowledge and those who have understanding. The first requires memory, the second philosophy.
Idealogs is a project to create the world’s first reference work of understanding, also known as a synesiary. This is similar to–but critically different from–a reference work of knowledge, also known as an encyclopedia.
Knowledge (n.): acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition.
Understanding (n.): a mental grasp; comprehension.
The key distinction that differentiates a synesiary from an encyclopedia–and all other types of reference works, for that matter–is that the synesiary’s purpose is not to give the reader the answer, but rather to define the question so that the reader can come to their own conclusion. In practice, that means
- providing all the primary sources in an easily-accessible manner, and
- spelling out the major claims and their significant proofs.
In doing so, we are then able to construct interesting, well-defined questions for which we subsequently do our best to lay out the current state of the debate.
The ultimate goal is to provide the reader the bare minimum amount of information necessary to understand the subject on their own. Note, however, that simply reading an article will not lead one to understand the subject. A well-written article in a synesiary, therefore, is one that pushes the reader to grapple with the primary sources and consider the relevant proofs on their own such that they have the tools necessary to come to their own conclusions. For further reading, see the articles on synesis and reciprocal linking.