What Are the Elements That Form an Ideology Called

This critique of classical Marxism opened up a broader spectrum of analysis of the concept of ideology. The German philosopher Christian Duncker called for a “critical reflection on the concept of ideology.” [16] In his work, he sought to highlight the concept of ideology and the interrelated concerns of epistemology and history by defining ideology as a system of representations that explicitly or implicitly claim absolute truth. Studies of the concept of ideology itself (and not specific ideologies) have been conducted under the name of systematic ideology in the work of George Walford and Harold Walsby, who attempt to explore the relationship between ideology and social systems. [Example needed] Some accuse ecological economics of also transforming scientific theory into political economy, although the theses of this science can often be tested. The modern practice of green economy merges the two approaches and appears to be both a science and an ideology. After the 1950s, Daniel Bell (1919-), an American sociologist, diagnosed the postwar period as the “end of ideology” and argued that the era was an era of technology and positivism. Frankfurt theorists criticized these positivist tendencies and Jürgen Habermas argued that science and scientific action are not free of ideology. When a political ideology becomes a dominant component within a government, we can speak of ideocracy. [37] Different forms of government use ideology in different ways, not always limited to politics and society. Some ideas and schools of thought are favored or rejected over others, depending on their compatibility or use for the dominant social order.

Ideologies are also identified by their position on the political spectrum (such as left, center or right), although this is very often contested. Finally, ideologies can be distinguished from political strategies (e.g., populism) and individual issues around which a party can be built (e.g., resistance to European integration or legalization of marijuana). An ideology is a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or individual. Very often, ideology refers to a set of political beliefs or a set of ideas that characterize a particular culture. Deep ecology and the modern environmental movement (and to a lesser extent green parties) seem to have adopted ecological science as a positive ideology. The term ideology comes from French ideology, which in turn derives from the combination of Greek: idéā (ἰδέα, “concept, model”; close to the meaning of Locke`s thought) and -logíā (-λογῐ́ᾱ, “the study of”). The Marxist formulation of “ideology as an instrument of social reproduction” is conceptually important for the sociology of knowledge,[18] namely Karl Mannheim, Daniel Bell and Jürgen Habermas et al. Moreover, Mannheim evolved and evolved from the “total” but “specific” Marxist conception of ideology to a “general” and “total” ideological conception that recognizes that all ideology (including Marxism) results from social life, an idea developed by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Slavoj Žižek and the Frankfurt School added to the “general theory” of ideology a psychoanalytic idea according to which ideologies include not only conscious but also unconscious ideas.

For Willard A. Mullins, an ideology is composed of four fundamental characteristics: After 1991, many commentators argue that we live in a post-ideological era,[24] in which redemptive and global ideologies failed. This view is often associated with Francis Fukuyama`s writings on the end of history. [25] Nienhueser (2011), on the other hand, considers research (in the field of human resource management) as a continuous “ideological generation”. [26] Marx used the term “ideology” in two ways. Overall, this meant the entire “superstructure,” such as ideas, beliefs, institutions, laws, and social systems built on economic “foundation.” Marx also used the term to refer to legal, social, political, religious, philosophical and cultural ideas and thoughts. Studies on the concept of ideology itself (and not on specific ideologies) have been conducted under the name of systematic ideology. In the basic Marxist model and superstructure of society, the base refers to relations and modes of production, and the superstructure refers to the dominant ideology (i.e., religious, legal and political systems). The economic basis of production determines the political superstructure of a society. The interests of the ruling class determine the superstructure and nature of the justifying ideology—actions that are possible because the ruling class controls the means of production. For example, in a feudal mode of production, religious ideology is the most important aspect of the superstructure, while in capitalist formations, ideologies such as liberalism and social democracy dominate. Hence the great importance of ideology that justifies a society; It politically confuses groups alienated from society by a false conscience.

Many political parties base their political action and programme on ideology.