Wide-Ranging Principles of a Person - Assignment Example

Why study ideologies? In order to comprehend why one should study ideologies, first an insight must be provided as to what ideologies actually are. Ideologies are philosophies or bodies of belief that belong to different individuals or a group of people. They are based on certain facts and subsequently form a part of a person’s faiths and convictions. Every person has certain goals, aims and actions and thus ideologies help to fuel people’s objectives and provide them with a certain amount of motivation to get on with something. Ideologies may also be thought of as wide-ranging principles of a person that act as a driving force in his life and make him do the things that he does. They direct a person’s expectations to a certain level and are one of the main causes for success or failure in a person’s life. However, despite having attempted to define the word, it must be noted that there cannot really be any single definition for the term ‘ideology.’ This is because different people look at the word with different meanings; some might imply it to be some sort of an identity thinking, others might look at it as some sort of a necessary illusion. Thus, it is difficult to narrow the meaning down to a single sentence because of the various beliefs that various kinds of individuals possess with regard to the social structure that they live in. Many people feel that an ideology is something that should be ruled by the dominant thoughts within society. However, this is a wrong notion because in just the same way, a minor section of society might be thinking along different lines, and creating their own set of beliefs which might not be as acceptable, but are something that they live by anyway. Ideologies may also be termed as illusions or mere fragments from within the thought process of a person. Some of the world’s famous ideologies that have been penned down have included the works of Hegel, Marx and even Georg Lukacs. It has been known through studies in history and politics that the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries have had a great impact on how people live today. These eras marked the inception of ideologies laid down by famous thinkers and intellectual powerhouses. Names like Freud, Keynes, Darwin and Smith shaped the way people existed, and gave life new meanings. They spoke about various things ranging from evolution to economics and helped people understand the reason for their existence. Much the same way, a number of changes subsequently cropped up in the socio-political aspects of life as well, as people began adopting paths laid down by leaders around the world. These ‘theories’ soon found a place as ideologies and ways of thinking among people with time, as more and more acceptance was gathered by the masses. Despite such worldwide recognition, many still believe that the thought processes that stemmed from the minds of these intellectuals, are not worthy of forming a part of society today. Thus, this is how an ideology might create conflict within culture and society, and the people because not everything is compatible with each other. It depends from one person to another. For example, if one actually would like to understand what the term signifies, then they must do it by putting themselves in different people’s shoes and trying to ascertain what they might be going through and how they might perceive a certain situation. Therefore, after having comprehended the basic verifications behind the term, it brings one to think why someone would want to study ideologies. The main reason behind which anyone would want to take this matter up as a subject of interest would be a thirst for knowledge of thought about an assortment and mix of people and what they think. It is obvious that not everyone looks at a circumstance in the same way, and that is why, one studies the subject in order to understand the different points of view of the world. The world consists of a number of modes of productions within economies of nations. Each system has its own ideologies, that is, its own beliefs by which it runs and functions. Each economy lays down its own principles in order to justify why they follow a certain ideology, and what is best for them. These include various forms like ideologies based on capitalism, politics, religion, social democracy and so on. The studying of ideologies provides a lot of criticism today, because a single person cannot lay down rules and objectives and expect the rest of the world to follow suit by adhering to his penned notions. This because people think differently, and with all the freedom provided to them, the main right includes the right to thought and freedom of speech. Thus, each person has the right to speak of his own way of doing something. However, it is wise to take this subject up and study it because only then can a person begin to understand how something works. If one wishes to know why a certain system of beliefs works in a certain way, studying ideologies and being able to comprehend differences in ideas and opinions is the best way to do so. This would include a great amount of in depth research work because different kinds of communities are made up of different perspectives. Therefore, it can be brought to light that the main purpose of studying ideologies is to basically break down the mysterious ways by which people go on about their lives, and the rules and thoughts that steer them towards a particular kind of lifestyle. Studying the subject helps one to understand and evaluate all the values and motives that lie behind a person’s interests. Terry Eagleton, in his book, Ideology: An Introduction, stated that “If a theory of ideology has value at all, it is in helping to illuminate the processes by which liberation from death dealing beliefs may be practically effected.” Since times immemorial, there have been various schools of thought preaching their own meanings of why studying ideologies is vital for the development of a human being’s mind. One such school, the Hermenutic school, state their own views on the matter as well. According to this train of thinking, ideologies can be understood if we trace the roots of each community back to the ancient times of their conception. It is stated, that since each civilization has been based on certain works of texts and scriptures, the meaning and purpose of it can be decoded by understanding the texts and comprehending their explanations. This is because these texts also form a part of the ideologies of these civilizations from which humanity has prospered and become what it is, today. Each piece of writing, every spoken word has a certain reason for cause and so when people learn about them, they learn it in their different ways. Thus, there can be so many varied interpretations about a single idea or way of thinking. How is it then possible, to understand and accept so many different views about a single strand of thinking? This is where the study of ideologies steps in. Those who gave rise to new lines of thinking and therefore, to ideologies in the past, have done so after comprehensively understanding the wants and needs of the masses. Arguments took place, discussions followed, based on which these ideologies were given birth to. Despite this, today there exist a number of novel kinds of ideologies and ways of going about life and that is why, the dominant ideologies of yesteryears cease to have such a strong hold on people. Of course, their use still exists, and it is probably from those ideologies that people morph ways into their own thinking, but people are becoming increasingly independent in terms of thinking and setting their own goals. This is a positive move towards the future because it shows the lack of dependency on other systems for going about a certain way of life, for an individual. Hence, studying ideologies is an important task that people must take up in order to understand someone else’s structure of thinking, what their expectations and actions might be, and what their goals are and why they are that way. Such comprehensive analysis must be taken to avoid conflict in the world, which arises mostly from the main reason that people do not understand what others want, and set out to achieve their goals which might not be compatible with others’. So by filtering thoughts and coming to a single conclusion by keeping in mind everyone’s needs, a nation can witness harmony in the various aspects of the environment, and this can be brought about by studying ideologies. SOURCES 1. Wordiq.com 2. Wikipedia.org/Ideology 3. Eagleton, Terry “Ideology” 4. Ray, J.J “The scientific study of ideology is too often more ideological than scientific”, University of New South Wales, Australia. 5. Beach, J.M “Studies in Ideology” 6. Freeden, Michael “Ideology: A short introduction” 7. Ideologies.org 8. discourses.org/projects/ideology/ Read More