One hundred seventy years ago today, on May 14, 1856, the USS Supply arrived in Indianola, Texas with 34 camels aboard, the official launch of the U.S. Camel Corps experiment.  The idea was that camels would prove to be excellent pack animals in the hot and arid American Southwest.

Over a number of years, camels were used on reconnaissance missions, for cargo transport, and other uses…and they proved to be quite a success.  Their ability to carry over 600 pounds—much more than the traditional mules—and the lack of need for regular watering were among their greatest advantages.  But when the Civil War broke out, federal support for the Camel Corps program ended…in large part because the originator and chief advocate of the idea was none other than Jefferson Davis—the American Secretary of War who became President of the Confederacy and leader of the secessionist South.

What appeared to be a good idea, even one that had proved relatively effective, was abandoned because it came from the wrong guy.

In business, this can sometimes be called the “not invented here” syndrome—where a company or organization will not adopt an idea or method or product, simply because it came from outside the organization.  In the world of ideas, political philosopher Leo Strauss cautioned against what he called the “reductio ad hitlerum” argument—the notion that just because someone evil, like Hitler, thought of it, doesn’t make it an inherently bad idea.  After all, if Hitler believed strongly in eating his vegetables and exercising regularly, should we not?

We often see this kind of thinking in American politics today—the wrong party came up with the idea, so we must oppose it.  But rejecting a good idea for bad reasons is just a plain old bad idea.

Perhaps the better course is to evaluate ideas on their own merits, not on the quality of their messenger—otherwise, we might miss out on the next brilliant use of camels, just because the wrong guy suggested it.

Have a wonderful day.