Posted on 09/29/2004 8:33:47 AM PDT by AdrianSpidle
This Vicious Election Season Illustrates the Evil of Ideology and the very real Danger it represents to America Part 1.
As I start the first week of my seventh decade, I have come to the conclusion that IDEOLOGY is, by far, the worst product of the mind of man. As I now see it, Ideology as promoted by Politicians is the sole cause of the appalling murder of well over a hundred million human beings and the brutal enslavement of billions more during the Twentieth Century.
First, a few definitions –
Ideology is a utopian construct designed to motivate a faction to make the world conform to a set of ideas.
Political Science is the “science” of getting people to support a person and an ideology. The first, personal power is far more important than the second (an ideal). Political Science is really about gaining power, not about realizing ideals.
Politicians use ideology to recruit supporters and, in a democracy, to entice voters. It has become obvious to me that no pure ideology has any value in national governance and that pragmatism based in understanding how things work is what actually produces the best results in governance.
An Ideology only has value to the extent that it is based in the real world, and an ideology is useless and dangerous to the extent that it seeks to change an already functional nation to satisfy some relativistic concepts like equality or fairness. These two ideas are fundamental to the Proletarian Ideologies of Communism, National Socialism and Socialism.
Equality and fairness are relativistic terms that are really meaningless outside of the Proletarian Ideologies that promote them. In that context what they really mean is the punishment of the competent and the rewarding of the incompetent and they are used by politicians to justify their seizure of power.
to be continued -
http://pep.typepad.com/public_enquiry_project/2004/09/this_vicious_el.html
Your definition of ideology (and the premise of your whole piece) is horrendously wrong.
You might as well write about the evil of verbs because without verbs people couldn't actually do anything evil.
Could you explain that? PLEASE.
1. The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture. 2. A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system.
Ideology is a body of ideas. The concept of bodies of ideas is not good or evil or a danger. Particular idealogies can be good or evil or dangerous, but ideology is not and cannot be. Capitalism, conservatism, and even Christianity can be construed as ideologies as much as communism, nazism or Islamism. Ideology is not the problem. Particular ideologies are.
There is a certain sense to your answer but you are missing the point I'm trying to make, which is -
Ideas are only useful when they are are based in reality, and ideologies are only valuable if they actually work and produce results.
Therefore, I believe that ALL practitioners of ALL ideologies are out of touch with reality. They confuse the picture of the hamburger on the menu with the actual hamburger.
I agree with your first point, and fail to see how you get to your second point, despite your use of 'therefore'. Your (false) presumption is that no set of ideas is based in reality.
"I agree with your first point, and fail to see how you get to your second point, despite your use of 'therefore'. Your (false) presumption is that no set of ideas is based in reality."
Ideologies are based in syntax not reality.
By contrast, scientific theories are tested against reality and are only accepted if they are confirmed in the lab.
I assert that there is a science to economics and governance that has evolved in the real world and can be discovered and applied with experimentation.
Failed concepts should be discarded and successful concepts need to be incorporated in Economics and Governance. This is the opposite of ideology wherein practitioners "hold the course" long after it becomes obvious that their ideas are failing in the real world.
BTW, I am certain that Lassez-faire market economics is the "natural" state of human affairs that has evolved over human history and is not an ideology.
So you can't use words when TALKING about reality. How exactly do you interact with people without SYNTAX?!? Because they have syntax they can't be based in reality?!?
I am certain that Lassez-faire market economics is the "natural" state of human affairs that has evolved over human history and is not an ideology.
Laissez Faire economics is most certainly a body of ideas (see Hayak), and therefore meets the definition of an idiology.
You are trying to distort the meaning of words. Remind not to waste time with you again.
So you can't use words when TALKING about reality.
I NEVER SAID THAT. I SAID THAT WORDS AND SYNTAX DON'T SUFFICE WITHOUT TESTING AGAINST REALITY.
How exactly do you interact with people without SYNTAX?!?
YOU ARE BEING REDICULOUS. I NEVER SAID THAT.
Because they have syntax they can't be based in reality?!?
ARE YOU KIDDING? I SAID SYNTAX NEEDS TO BE TESTED AGAINST REALITY.
Laissez Faire economics is most certainly a body of ideas (see Hayak),
YEAH, BUT IT'S MUCH MORE THAN IDEOLOGY BECAUSE IT'S BASED IN REALITY.
and therefore meets the definition of an idiology.
You are trying to distort the meaning of words. Remind not to waste time with you again.
YOU ARE MYOPIC. I AM USING ACCEPTED USAGES ONLY.
So you can't use words when TALKING about reality.
I NEVER SAID THAT. I SAID THAT WORDS AND SYNTAX DON'T SUFFICE WITHOUT TESTING AGAINST REALITY.
How exactly do you interact with people without SYNTAX?!?
YOU ARE BEING REDICULOUS. I NEVER SAID THAT.
Because they have syntax they can't be based in reality?!?
ARE YOU KIDDING? I SAID SYNTAX NEEDS TO BE TESTED AGAINST REALITY.
Laissez Faire economics is most certainly a body of ideas (see Hayak),
YEAH, BUT IT'S MUCH MORE THAN IDEOLOGY BECAUSE IT'S BASED IN REALITY.
and therefore meets the definition of an idiology.
You are trying to distort the meaning of words. Remind not to waste time with you again.
YOU ARE MYOPIC. I AM USING ACCEPTED USAGES ONLY.
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