heresy (n.) "doctrine or opinion at variance with established standards" (or, as Johnson defines it, "an opinion of private men different from that of the catholick and orthodox church"), c. 1200, from Old French heresie, eresie "heresy," and by extension "sodomy, immorality" (12c.), from Latin hæresis, "school of thought, philosophical sect." The Latin word is from Greek hairesis "a taking or choosing for oneself, a choice, a means of taking; a deliberate plan, purpose; philosophical sect, school," from haireisthai "take, seize," middle voice of hairein "to choose," a word of unknown origin, perhaps cognate with Hittite šaru "booty," Welsh herw "booty;" but Beekes offers "no etymology."

UPDATE

(was added to the Holy Books section)

(was added to the Collective Action section)

HOLY BOOKS

Read these again with new eyes and not religious ones. Begin with the Book of Moses; for the New Testament, begin with Mark, then the other 3 Gospels prior to reading the Quran.

PHILOSOPHY

Immediately begin reading the author himself. Avoid any translator’s or editor’s notes religiously, so you may form your own thoughts and impressions. For Plato, begin with Symposium, Phaedrus, Republic.

PERSECUTION

Some authors purposefully hide their meaning “between the lines” to avoid the censors yet reach slow and careful readers, or boys who love to think. Like Jesus did with his disciples before he was executed.

COLLECTIVE ACTION

No one has solved the collective action problem, i.e., how did society come to be when human cooperation was once restricted to cooperation between close relatives? IMPORTANT: read about this problem.

Resources