What is the meaning of the term ideology? Ideology refers to a set of normative beliefs and values that persons or other entities have for non-epistemic reasons. Let’s dig in and find out more.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this topic, you are expected to;
Ideologies rely on basic assumptions regarding the reality that might or might not have any factual basis. The term is mainly used to describe systems of ideals and ideas which form the basis of political and economic theories and resultant policies. In political science, ideology is used in a descriptive form to refer to political belief systems.
Recent analysis posit that ideology is a coherent system of ideas relying on a few basic assumptions about reality that may or may not have any factual basis. Through this system, ideas become coherent repeated patterns through the subjective ongoing choices that people make. These ideas serve as the seed around which further thought grows. The range of believers of ideology can be from passive acceptance through fervent advocacy to true belief. According to the most recent analysis, ideologies are neither necessarily wrong nor right.
The works of Harold Walsby and George Walford, done under the heading of systematic ideology, are attempts to explore the relationships between social systems and ideology. David W. Minar defines six different ways in which the word ideology has been used:
For Willard A. Mullins, ideology should be contrasted with the related (but different) issues of utopia and historical myth. Ideology is made up of four basic characteristics:
Terry Eagleton describes some definitions of ideology:
