An FT columnist has written a tribute to ideas that turned out to be wrong but still helped people think. The piece begins with Francis Fukuyama's 'end of history' thesis, and asks what other mistaken ideas have done for the world.
The writer argues that wrong ideas can still be useful, because they force people to test their assumptions. Later thinkers then build better theories from earlier mistakes.
π The Backstory
Fukuyama wrote his essay in 1989, just before the Berlin Wall fell, and turned it into a book in 1992. He argued that liberal democracy had beaten every rival system and was the final stage of political development.
Since then, wars, the rise of China and deep political division have undercut the idea. Fukuyama himself has written about the decline of Western democracy, and The Economist has asked whether he is the most misunderstood public thinker alive.
π― Why It Matters
It is a reminder that experts get big calls wrong. Readers should question confident predictions about politics and the economy.
An FT columnist has written a tribute to ideas that turned out to be wrong but still helped people think. The piece begins with Francis Fukuyama's 'end of history' thesis, and asks what other mistaken ideas have done for the world.
The writer argues that wrong ideas can still be useful, because they force people to test their assumptions. Later thinkers then build better theories from earlier mistakes.
Fukuyama wrote his essay in 1989, just before the Berlin Wall fell, and turned it into a book in 1992. He argued that liberal democracy had beaten every rival system and was the final stage of political development.
Since then, wars, the rise of China and deep political division have undercut the idea. Fukuyama himself has written about the decline of Western democracy, and The Economist has asked whether he is the most misunderstood public thinker alive.
It is a reminder that experts get big calls wrong. Readers should question confident predictions about politics and the economy.