675 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Political Philosophy
20 Jun 2018
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Ideology and Ideologies
Ideologies are sets of ideas that shape people's thinking and actions in regard to race,
nationality, the role and function of government, the relations of gender, human
responsibilities for the environment etc.
Ideologues; people who try and persuade others to accept their ideology.
Two factors that have shaped human history in the twentieth century, as defined by Sir Isaiah
Berlin (1909-1997):
1. Development of the natural sciences and technology
2. Great ideological storms that have altered the lives of mankind
Twentieth century = liberalism, communism and fascism
Ideologies shape and direct social change; they respond to the changes in the world around
them.
Ideologies offer man a way to make sense of the world, to understand society, politics and
economics, in order to change for the better or resist changes they believe will make public
and private spheres worse.
Why Political Ideology?
People can not live solitary, self-sufficient lives. Socialisation is imperative for mankind to
survive and flourish.
In any society of individuals, differences with arise.
Politics is the art of resolving differences without force or coercion. It is policy, discussion
and debate; talking, listening and compromise- the political arts.
Amongst society, differences based on ideals, ideas and principles is hard to resolve.
'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.
It performs 4 functions:
1. Explanatory
2. Evaluative
3. Orientative
4. Programmatic
Explanation:
Why social, political and economic conditions are as they are, especially in crisis. It offers an
explanation to people. It tries to answer profound questions and make sense of the complicated
world.
Evaluation:
Supply standards for evaluating social conditions. Ideologies provide social cues and standards that
help people asses, judge, and appraise social policies and conditions so they can decide whether
policies are good, bad or indifferent.
Orientation: Offers an identity with an orientation- of who he or she is, the group (race, nation, sex
etc.) they belong, relation to the rest of the world etc. Ideologies are a compass that help people
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Document Summary
Ideologies are sets of ideas that shape people"s thinking and actions in regard to race, nationality, the role and function of government, the relations of gender, human responsibilities for the environment etc. Ideologues; people who try and persuade others to accept their ideology. Two factors that have shaped human history in the twentieth century, as defined by sir isaiah. Great ideological storms that have altered the lives of mankind. Twentieth century = liberalism, communism and fascism. Ideologies shape and direct social change; they respond to the changes in the world around them. Ideologies offer man a way to make sense of the world, to understand society, politics and economics, in order to change for the better or resist changes they believe will make public and private spheres worse. People can not live solitary, self-sufficient lives. Socialisation is imperative for mankind to survive and flourish. In any society of individuals, differences with arise.
