The New Dark Age And The Social Effects of Ideological Extremism
We live in a time in history of amazing scientific progress. So, it is discouraging to see regressive beliefs gain traction. The rise of extremism has sparked concerns about the New Dark Age. We need to understand ideological extremism. Whether you realize it or not, it affects our lives. Extremism is the belief in unconventional ideas and acting to get their point across. Shedding light on this kind of thinking exposes their reasons for doing things. It unmakes the reasons they perpetuate oppression, persecution, and violence. Warning: This journey may not be comfortable. It's important to address it without attacking the people who follow these faiths. To do this, we will look at historical and current examples to gain insight.
Radical Ideologies and Extremism
Radical beliefs are far removed from socially neutral policies and values. They are opinions at the extremes of the spectrum regarding religious or political beliefs. Radical beliefs advocate for a complete overhaul of societal structures. Radical thinking isn't bad. One can have radical ideas that promote positive, healthy outcomes. Or, one can have radical thoughts that have harmful outcomes. These are the two ends of the spectrum of thinking. Beliefs can be far to the right or the left of moderate thinking. The far left is linked with progressive ideas, personal rights, and positive social ideals. The far-right supports divisive and harmful philosophies such as racism and nationalism. An ideology is a system of ideas, beliefs, and values. Far-right thinking opposes universal and holistic values, democracy, the rule of law, personal liberty, and science. It attacks those with other beliefs. These positions support more radical and rigid forms of religious and political beliefs.
