1: Introduction: Striking Back Against the Dark Side

As editors of this volume, we are especially proud of what it represents: a further step towards realising what we term the ideas-informed society. This is a concept we return to often in our writing – an ideal, even. It envisions a society in which all members, from school students onwards, actively seek out and engage with enriching, constructive ideas, while also identifying and rejecting harmful or misleading ones.¹ As we write this in mid-2025, clinging to idealism may seem naïve – but can you blame us? The world today is awash with crises: impending environmental catastrophe, a growing migration emergency, worsening obesity and mental health issues, the rise of populist demagogues, attacks on democratic institutions, eroding public trust, and an ever-widening chasm between the privileged and the deprived. Against this backdrop, we argue that fostering an ideas-informed society – rooted in critical engagement with ideas – can serve as a much-needed bulwark. At its core, this means encouraging widespread interaction with positive ideas while actively challenging dark ones. So, let's begin there.