starter activity

1
? starter activity
What is an ideology? Can you spot these
ideologies above nationalism, conservatism,
socialism, liberalism, fascism, anarchism
2
What is an ideology?
? Aims

• To identify the aims purposes of ideologies
• To identify the common characteristics of
  ideologies
• To test our criteria against a popular ideology

3
? Your task

• Political ideologies revision session. Read
  extracts 1 2 and answer these questions
• What do political ideologies seek to achieve?
• Why do we need ideologies?

4
Aims of ideologies

• To provide a systematic and all-embracing set of
  ideas
• To provide ideas which help explain how society
  operates
• To have practical application, e.g. in
  policy-making by politicians

5
Purpose

• To help interpret the political environment
• To help reach decisions on appropriate course of
  action
• To ensure ideas are consistent

6
? Your task

• Read extracts 3-5 and answer these questions
• Why did Marx criticise ideology?
• Give 4 essential features of an ideology
• List reasons why ideologies have been criticised

7
Why did Marx criticise ideologies?

• Ideologues with no practical experience of
  politics
• Associated with bourgeois liberals
• Ideologies distort perception of real world
  Marx compared with camera obscura
• Ideologies used to manipulate people, e.g.
  capitalism to create subservient proletariat

Karl Marx
8
Four essential features

• Exhibit a recurring pattern
• Held by significant groups
• Compete over providing plans for public policy
• Aim to change the way a society is orgainsed
  (Michael Freeden)

9
Challenges to ideologies

• Experiences of radical ideologies during WWII
  Cold War, e.g. fascism communism
• Values moral claims are not scientific but
  subjective and cannot be made universal
• Growth of social sciences based on empirical
  factual research
• All societies have similar goals regardless of
  individual ideologies

10
? Your task

• What are the problems in interpreting ideologies?
  Read extracts 6-8 and list as many problems as
  you can when discussing and exploring ideologies.

11
Problems

• Ideologies dont explain political complexities
• Fail to provide a guide for action
• Not universal only comprehensible to those
  familiar with the ideology
• Lack scientific basis
• (Michael Oakeshott)

12

• Ideologies share family resemblances
  Wittgenstein
• Ideologies are constantly changing
• Ideologies use similar language concepts but
  interpret them differently, e.g. freedom
• Difficult to hold meaningful dialogue between
  proponents of different ideologies

13
? Your task

• What do all ideologies have in common?
• Human nature - what humans need to flourish
• Present conditions
• Future society
• Guide to change
• Expand these bullet points into your own
  definition of ideology. Now take a popular
  ideology you have studied, e.g. globalisation and
  see how far it fits your criteria.

14
? Homework

• Read p. vii in Neil McNaughton and
• List the problems associated with studying
  ideologies
• List the 4 key questions an ideology needs to
  answer
• Find out the origin of the term ideology
• Summarise the key features of all ideologies
• What is the difference between a utopianism and a
  scientificism?

15
? Essay

• Write a short answer question (20 marks) in
  response to this question
• Why do we need ideologies?
• In your answer you may wish to include the
  following
• Introduction explaining origin of term
• Key features purpose of ideologies
• Problems with ideologies (to give your answer
  balance)
• Conclusion summary judgement
• Remember to include examples from thinkers or
  policies wherever possible to illustrate your
  ideas.