The textbook definition first:
"An ideology is a set of aims and ideas that directs one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things (compare worldview), as in common sense (see Ideology in everyday society below) and several philosophical tendencies ..."
I have been having a FB "discussion" about this with some people I know. They are claiming that the problem with our society is the use of ideology to drive policy. I contend that you can't NOT use ideology to drive policy. To pretend that you aren't is just baseless exceptionalism. Let's discuss.
It started with this quote from an acquaintance:
"All of the cable news commentary is all part of the same problem. Ideology is ideology. It doesn't matter what side of the fence that it's on. Some of it may be more extreme but they both contribute to the same useless cause of pitting one belief against another. We can't have any real debates about anything because everything has become a competing religion where people have more stock in confirming what they believe rather than learning and reasoning with a world that suggest something different and/or more complex."
I see this as just being a squishy Friedmanist. That is, pointing at everyone around you as being "less objective than thou" and that you are the only one that is making empirical statements.
Regardless of what you know and how you know it, we all derive our policies, both personal and political from one position or another. Even the dogmatic fundamentalist thinks he is righteously correct, as does the atheist. This is not about debating WHICH is more correct, but more about the decision to place the blame on the derivation of policy from ideals.
I see even here that people are using the term "ideological" as a pejorative about the GOP's positions... How is being "ideological" escapable in any decision-making process about policy and governance? We disagree with them because of not just their ideology, but also our OWN.
Your thoughts?