# Engaging with other frameworks and ideologies

By [Jack Brustkern](https://paragraph.com/@jbrustkern) · 2023-02-07

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A theme of the weekend, that started in a lively debate on the way down to Boston, was on engaging with ideas coming from other ideologies.

Words are important. Foucault, Sarte and others who informed today’s thought cared a lot about words. Words aren’t just separable ideas like Descartes treats the mind and the soul. Also connected to this: words inform our ideas to the extent that we struggle to comprehend what we don’t have a word for. This is true for cultures who don’t have words for certain colors, but I’ve also experienced this with friends raise surrounded by very different beliefs who are unable to even comprehend certain ideas like the concept of objective truth. The ways we think are impacted by words. When we use certain words, they are associated with certain other ideas and feelings and perceptions. These tracks are ground in. Also -- the meaning of words are slightly different for people, making these connected ideas and feelings and disposed paths all the more important.

**On the importance of using an authentic framework**

On the one hand, with the phrase “toxic masculinity” and similar, such comes from an ideology that is based in something that has different fundamentals than, say, Christianity. It comes from a different system of thought. Trying to discuss the veritity of something in its own system can be difficult because in its system, it is probably sound, or at least accepted in deep grooves of thought pattern.

**Another side**

\[inspired from JKAS\] On the other hand, to be a human listening to another, there is a big difference between listening to someone deeply in that moment each word. Versus listening to try to translate, try to catch what they’re doing, to translate into your own system. Perhaps this has a role, but it isn’t the initial one.

\[inspired from Justin Hawkins’\] Augustine was deeeeeply versed in Roman thought. He was the best. Paul was deeply versed in the thought of the enemies of Christ. They engaged on that territory, at least to some extent.

We live in a world that straw-mans the other side. We live in a world of summaries, that praises the one and discounts the other. This is not a good way to live.

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*Originally published on [Jack Brustkern](https://paragraph.com/@jbrustkern/engaging-with-other-frameworks-and-ideologies)*