Political Thinking POL 161

1. Political ThinkingPOL 161 Erik Rankin Introduction & What is an Ideology? D&B 1-9

2. Introduction • Who am I? • Well, who the hell are you? • Distribution of syllabus • Discussion of syllabus as a social contract • Immanent Critique v. Transcendental Critique

3. Lesson Objectives • Describe what the term ideology originally meant • Define the term ideology as it will be used in this course • Identify 4 functions of a political ideology • Specify the connection between ideology and human nature • Discern the link between different ideologies and their understanding of freedom • Understand the connection between ideology and revolutionary political change

4. Historical Ideology • Originally, was a systematic study of the origins or source of our ideas (DeTracy 1734-1836) • 18th century version is quite different from our conception if it today • Ideology came to mean a set of ideas that was somehow suspect, and probably false • This still retains significance today • For this class an ideology has no unfavorable connotations

5. Introduction • What is an ideology? • Dagger and Ball describe an ideology as what “people need to help comprehend and cope with turbulent times and confusing circumstances.” • Does this sound like religion? • Ball and Dagger describe 4 important functions for those who adhere to a specific ideology

6. Explanatory Function • An ideology explainspolitical phenomena that would otherwise remain mysterious or puzzling • Depending on how you answer specific questions regarding your political feelings, determines to some extent, your ideology • A Marxist answers one way, while a deconstructionalist or a socialist will answer another • Questions like “Why are there conflicts between nations, races, and social classes?”

7. Evaluative Function • An ideology provides a criteria and a standard of evaluation for deciding right and wrong, good and bad. • Should we have censorship? • Can different races get along, is this desirable? • Is there a right to life, who should decide? The government? The individual? • It is here one sees that your answer will show a tendency towards a specific ideology

8. Orientative Function • An ideology orients, allowing one to have a sense of who they are and where they belong. • The idea that there is a social or cultural compass to define and affirm their individual and collective identity • A structuralist sees themselves as existing in a world where social structures dominate • Fascists see themselves as members of a superior nation or race • A liberalist will see the power in human reason and put it above all else • Communists, deconstructionalists, Animal liberationalists, etc………

9. Programmatic Function • An ideology supplies a political program • This program provides and answer to the question posed by Lenin, among others: What is to be done? • Who is to do it? • With what means? • Different answers for liberals, conservatives, fascists, Marxist-Leninist, greens, and many others

10. Introduction • Summary • A political ideology is a more or less systematic set of ideas that perform four functions for those who hold it: the explanatory, the evaluative, the orientative, and the programmatic functions. • An ideology in short serves as a guide through the thicket of political life • Is democracy an ideology?

11. Introduction • NOPE! • Democracy is an ideal that is interpreted by different ideologies • Marxists feel democracy means rule by, and in the interest of common people • For liberals, democracy means majority rule, with protection of minority rights • Well all know conservatives and liberals differ on their view of democracy • For greens, it means participatory or grass roots democracy

12. Introduction • Dagger and Ball also discuss freedom and its various interpretations • Freedom means different things to various ideologies i.e. fascists v. liberals • Triadic Model of Freedom • Each ideology identifies the triad in their own way

13. Introduction • EX: Liberals • Agent: Individuals • Goal: Satisfactions of one’s desires • Obstacle: Any unreasonable restraint or restriction on satisfaction • EX: Marxist • Agent: Class- Bourgeoisie or Proletariat • Goal: Classless society • Obstacle: capitalist exploitation

14. Introduction • EX: Fascists • Agent: Whole nation or race • Obstacle: Inferior nations or races • Goal: Racial and national purity and supremacy • EX: Animal Liberationalists • Agent: Animals • Obstacle: Corporate and individual abuse of animals for capital or personal gain • Goal: liberate animals from current enslaved and mistreated conditions

15. Journal Entry #1 • React briefly to the readings in the D&B text pgs. 1-9 • Which ideology do you see yourself to have the most in common with? • Why?