Political Ideologies

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‘Ideology’ was coined

in 1796 by the French

Philosopher

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Destutt de Tracy

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A ‘science of ideas’ that set out to uncover the origins of the conscious thoughts and ideas.

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Ideology (etymology definition by Destutt de Tracy)

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is a more or less coherent set of ideas that provides a basis for organized political action, whether this is to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power relationships

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Ideology (Heywood definition)

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A system of a widely shared ideas, patterned beliefs, guiding norms and values, and ideals accepted as truth by some groups. It offers individuals a more or less coherent picture of the world not only as it is,but also as it ought to be (Steger, 2014:24)

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Ideology

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Functions of an Ideology

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•Distortion

• Legitimation

• Integration

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the production of contorted images of social reality

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Distortion

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•the claim to legitimacy made by the ruling authority

•the belief in the authority’s legitimacy granted by its subjects

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Legitimation

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creates, preserves, and protects the social identity of persons and groups.

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Integration

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Major Political Ideologies

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•Liberalism

•Conservatism

•Socialism

•Marxism

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The product of the breakdown of feudalism and the growth, in its place, of a market or capitalist society

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Liberalism

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Elements of Liberalism

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•Individualism

•Freedom

•Reason

•Equality

•Toleration

•Consent

•Constitutionalism

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Core principle of liberal ideology.

• Supreme importance of the human individual as opposed to any social group or collective body.

• Implies that human beings are of equal moral worth and that they possess separate unique identities.

• The liberal goal is to therefore construct a society within which individuals can flourish and develop, each pursuing ‘the good’ as he defines it, to the best of her abilities.

• Liberalism as morally neutral

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Individualism

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• Core value of liberal ideology.

• Given priority over equality, justice, and authority.

•Advocacy for ‘freedom under the law

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Freedom

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Liberalist faith to the ability of individuals to make wise judgments on their own behalf, being, in most cases, the best judges of their own interests.

• Encourage liberals to believe in progress and the capacity to resolve differences through debate and argument and not on bloodshed and war.

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Reason

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• Individuals are ‘born equal’, at least in terms of moral worth.

• Liberal commitment to equal rights and entitlements (esp. legal equality ‘equality before the law’ and political equality ‘one person, one vote; one person, one value.)

• Does not endorse social equality or equality of outcome but equality of opportunities. Hence, the belief in meritocracy.

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Equality

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• The willingness of people to allow others to think, speak and act in ways of which they disapprove.

• Pluralism (moral, cultural and political diversity) is healthy.

• Free market of ideas.

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Toleration

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• Authority and social relationships should always be based on consent or willing agreement.

• ‘Consent of the governed’: favoring representation and democracy.

• Authority rises ‘from below’ and is always grounded in legitimacy.

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Consent

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• Aware of the danger that power tends to corrupt (Lord Acton),

liberals believe in a limited government: fragmentation of government power, creation of checks and balances and the establishment of codified constitution embodying a bill of rights and defining the relationship between the state and the individual

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Constitutionalism

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Threads of Liberalism

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• Classical Liberalism

• Modern Liberalism

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'Necessary evil'

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State

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• Extreme form of individualism.

• Human beings are egoistical, self-seeking and largely self-reliant creatures.

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Classical Liberalism

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•More sympathetic attitude towards state intervention.

•Support for big government, interventionist government which is usually understood to imply economic management and social regulation.

•Free market has caused injustices.

•Freedom does not simply mean just being left alone but that ability of the individual to gain fulfillment and achieve self-realization (basis for social or welfare liberalism)

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Modern Liberalism

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The desire to conserve’. Respect for established customs and institutions that have endured through time; tradition has the virtue of promoting stability and security.

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Traditional

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the central value of socialism. Socialism is often regarded as a form of egalitarianism. Emphasized equality of outcome and not opportunity. Social equality is the essential guarantee of social stability and cohesion, encouraging individuals to identify with their fellow human beings. It also provides the basis for the exercise of legal and political rights

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Social Equality

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Early 19th century, a reaction against the emergence of industrial capitalism

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Socialism

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Elements of Marxism

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• Historical Materialism

• Dialectical Change

• Alienation

• Class struggle

• Surplus Value

• Proletarian Revolution

• Communism

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Principal alternative to the liberal rationalism that has dominated western culture and intellectual enquiry

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Marxism

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Elements of Conservatism

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• Tradition

• Pragmatism

• Human Imperfection

• Organicism

• Hierarchy

• Authority

• Property

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(late 18th century to early 19th century) Harked back to the ancien régime.

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CONSERVATISM

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•Emphasizes tradition, hierarchy, and authority

• opposed to change

• defend values, tradition, practices

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Conservatism

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•openness for debate

•liberty/freedom

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LIBERALISM

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•"collectivism"

• collective action

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Socialism

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emphasis on the limitations of human rationality. Faith in experience, history and pragmatism (actions should be shaped by practical circumstances and practical goals, that is, by ‘what works’).

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Pragmatism

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limited, dependent, and security-seeking individuals; morally corrupt, selfish, greedy, and thirsty for power.

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Human Imperfection

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society as an organic whole or living entity; structured by natural necessity.

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Organicism

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social position and status are natural and inevitable in an organic society; society is bound by mutual obligations and reciprocal duties

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Hierarchy

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authority is exercised ‘from above’ (natural aristocracy vs. effort and self-advancement)

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Authority

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an exteriorization of people’s personalities; property ownership is vital because it gives people security and a measure of independence from government and it encourages them to respect the law and the property of others

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Property

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Threads of Conservatism

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• Paternalistic Conservatism

• New Right

• Neoliberalism

• Neoconservatism

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the core of socialism is the vision of human beings as social creatures linked by the existence of a common humanity. The degree to which individual identity is fashioned by social interaction and membership of social groups and collective bodies; nature vs. nurture (explaining individual behavior through social factors than innate qualities)

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Community

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human beings are bound together by a sense of comradeship or fraternity. Socialists prefer cooperation to competition and collectivism over individualism.

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Fraternity