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1. Political Ideologies
PSC 201
“It is what men think, that determines how they act.”
-John Stuart Mill

2. Why Study Ideologies?
 The power of ideas to move people to act
 Understanding the ideological storms of
20th
century
 Necessary to democracy?

3. “Ideology” – Good or bad?
 Ideology as enlightened public opinion, a
democratic intelligence (Antoine Destutt
de Tracy)
 Ideology as dangerous dreaming and
shadowy metaphysics (Napoleon)
 Ideology as false consciousness (Marx)
 Ideology as wish fulfillment providing a
sense of security and identity (Freud)
 Ideology as social prejudices that resist
change (Karl Mannheim)

4. Ambivalence of Ideology
(As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary)
 The positive view:
ideology as the “science of ideas” that
informs popular intelligence; being
“enlightened” about public matters
 The negative view:
ideology as a dangerous “ideal or abstract
speculation” and “unpractical or visionary
theorizing” that leads to popular illusions

5. A Working Definition of ideology:
 Broadly speaking: a system of ideas or
beliefs oriented toward action
 Nancy Love: ideologies are the
“translators of ideas into action”
 Ball and Dagger: “an ideology is a fairly
coherent and comprehensive set of ideas
that explains and evaluates social
conditions, helps people understand their
place in society, and provides a program
for social and political action.”

6. Four Functions of an Ideology
 Explanation
 Why is political reality the way it is?
 Evaluation
 What value judgments should we make about our
political situation?
 Orientation
 Who are we and where do we belong?
 Program of Action
 What do we need to do to improve our situation?

7. Left/Right: The Spectrum of Ideology
Who’s Left?
Who’s Right?
Is there a Center?
Extremists?

8. Ideological Spectrums

9. Ideological Spectrums

10. Americans and ideology
 Americans as naïve ideologists
 “pragmatic” “moderate” “middle of the road”
 The Liberal Consensus
 Set of political ideas/ideals shared by most Americans
 The “End of Ideology”
 “A New World Order”
 The belief that a worldwide consensus has emerged on
the beneficence of a liberal-capitalist state-based order
 From Ideology to the Cultural Wars
 Economic and class displaced by values and religion

11. Escaping Ideologies: Mannheim’s
Paradox
 How can we talk about, or criticize,
ideologies without being ideological
ourselves?
 Mannheim: Sociology of Knowledge
If all knowledge is contextual and rooted
in one’s social situation (class, nation,
group, religion, etc.) then is it possible to
escape ideological ways of thinking about
politics?

12. Escaping Ideology? Political
Philosophy and Political Science
 Apathy and political withdrawal
 Plato’s Cave – the ascent of the political
philosopher to contemplative theory
 Political science – just the “facts”, please
 On the importance of being self-conscious,
self-critical citizens

13. Studying Ideologies ….
 …to help refine our thinking about political
ideas
 Self-conscious, self-critical about
ideologies
 Historical Perspective: place your ideas/values
in historical context
 Sense of realism: recognize the multiplicity of
conflicting political ideas/values: the “necessity
of opposition”
 Sense of responsibility: giving an account of
what you believe and why you hold such
beliefs