Kirk is often remembered for advancing a conservative principle that eschews ideology in all forms; in fact, in The Conservative Mind, Kirk quoted John Adams' definition of "ideology": "Our English words, Idiocy or
Idiotism, express not the meaning or force of it.
Most political commentator were first taken by
idiotism and had no exact comment about its overnight spring up.
Branko Geroski in Sloboden Pecat comments that the civil initiative for proclaiming SDSM leader Zoran Zaev for committing high treason represents
idiotism of highest ranks.
This is symptomatic of a condition that I have elsewhere referred to as '
idiotism'.
But a page or so later, after he has made repeated attempts to engage Antonia in conversation, only to be given short one-word replies to his questions, Lorenzo is confronted with something beyond his fantasy object: "By this time He had discovered that his Neighbour was not very conversable; But whether her silence proceeded from pride, discretion, timidity, or
idiotism, He was still unable to decide" (10-11).
And you could say that conservatory is a sort of luxury training and I very much dislike it that some disciplines start at 15 years, since this tends to make young people one-sided, if not to lead to professional
idiotism.
The Collegiate lists two words with different etymological roots for
IDIOTISM. The first is obsolete and means "idiom;" the second is archaic and means "idiocy." Since neither
IDIOTISM is in current usage but is in the dictionary, there should be a third listing defined as "a defunct word spelled
IDIOTISM." Not only would that give a reason for listing the other two, but it would encourage fans of the word to look for more to submit for consideration in the 11th Collegiate.
The wise plays the idiot, he does not reject the
idiotism of everyone, quite the reverse.
But in this third-way era, when Big Brother is trademark grist for a lawsuit over a "reality TV" series featuring spied-on dolts, would
idiotism be just as alarming to him were he with us today?
"It's only humor that's allowed us to make a film about all this
idiotism without actually taking up any position on it."