I have selected the first question "is it possible to live without ideologies" to discuss and argue in this module's assessment. In order for me to be able to talk discuss and present my views about the issue, I had to define the term "ideology".As our lecturer explained in one of our lectures, ideology in oxford concise dictionary is defined as "any comprehensive and mutually consistent set of ideas by which a social group makes sense of the world." Furthermore, Andrew Heywood describes the term ideology as "a more or less coherent set of ideas that provides the basis for some kind of organised political action.
All ideologies offer an account of the existing order (usually in the form of a word view), provide the model of a desired future (a vision of the good society) and outline how political change can and should be brought about." The word ideology was invented during the French Revolution by Antoine Destutt de Tracy and was first used in public in 1796. Antoine Destutt de Tracy formulated an approach to the rational study of ideas that he called ideology. He believed that it was possible objectively to reveal the beginnings of ideas, and declared that this new science would come to enjoy the same status as established sciences.As I read through the political ideology book, I come across that the term "ideology" and the "ideologies" although they are related, the two terms are quite different things to study. In this case, I am more concerned with the term ideologies.
In the book it says that, ideologies "is to be concerned with analysing the content of political thought, to be interested in the ideas, doctrines and theories that have been advanced by and within the various ideological traditions."Political ideology is a reliable reaction of beliefs about one's political environment. We usually think of ideology in terms of the liberal-conservative practice but political ideology could be multidimensional concept. I think, ideology is any system of interrelated ideas offering a comprehensive world view and it is able to assemble large numbers of people for or against political changes. Ideologies contain understandings of how societies have come to be as they are, instructions of goals and targets to make every effort in the future and recommendations of strategies, policies and approaches by which of these goals can be achieved and accomplished truly. Ideas that make up the ideology are illusory, false and misleading, but they are also regarded as ideas that express the interests of the dominant class.
Each ideology would provide a differing point of view on social inequality and each would take up a separate way of dealing with the problem. I would like to talk about these differing views a little and compare and contrast them before I give the assessment question's answer. I will try and explain the three major ideologies in my own words and by quoting important points from politic books.Liberalism is the aim of politics to protect the individual rights and to maximise the freedom of choice.
"Liberalism is an open system of thought, it does not claim to posses a monopoly of truth, but it is committed to freedom of speech and an open competition of political view." This phrase by A. Heywood is showing us that not all sets of political ideas are ideologies. The belief of the primacy of individual is the characteristic theme of liberals and has had important implications for the liberal thought. "Any account of political ideologies must start with liberalism.
This is because liberalism is, in effect, the ideology of industrialised West and is sometimes showed as a meta-ideology that is capable of embracing a broad range of rival values and beliefs."Conservatism seeks for the preservation of the best established society and it opposes radical change, a desire to maintain established customs and institutions. Conservatism's other main belief is human imperfection. "Conservative ideas first arose as a reaction against the growing pace of economic and political change, which was in many ways symbolised by the French Revolution."Socialism draws on power of the community rather than the individual effort. "It developed as a reaction against the emergence of industrialised capitalism.
Its goal was to abolish a capitalist economy based on market exchange, and replace it with a qualitatively different socialist society, usually to be constructed on the principle of common ownership."To conclude, if we look at each point of view response to the inequality, we can see that a traditional liberalism and libertarian conservatism, all believed in restricted role of the state. Whereas modern liberalism, paternalistic conservatism and social democrats all seek expansion of the welfare state exists, even though they all claim to be different ideologies and claim to have rationale for their belief.
