Transmissible mental content concerning how reality is understood, what is regarded as right or desirable, which courses of action are appropriate or available, or which goals and ideals are pursued. In this theory, civilisation elements are collectively described as the ideas that give content to a civilisation.
- Explanation. Idea is therefore an overarching concept and not a fifth category alongside the four types of civilisation element. The phrase ‘how ideas become power’ refers to the process through which such ideas become socially operative by means of civilising, the formation of social circles and institutionalisation.
Last updated: 3 October 2026