A Critical Analysis of Ideology In America by Christopher Ellis and James Stimson - Book Report/Review Example

Ellis and Stimson in their book, ideology in America discusses various political ideologies that have shaped the social, economic, and political sectors of American society Ecologism ideology By saying that green politics is ‘neither right, nor left, nor in the centre’, Ellis and Stimson intend to say politics of the right, the centre, or the left leads to the same result. They compare this to a three-lane motorway but having vehicles leading in the same direction. While time and resources are wasted debating on which type is the correct from of politics, it is the direction the motorway leads to that is wrong. With capitalism on the right, communism on the left and socialized capitalism in the centre, leaders need to find new ways handling policies. Porrit also says that both the left and the right form an underlying super-ideology. By this, they mean to say that capitalism and communism have a similar goal and, when conjoined, form an indestructible force that sees to change and development in many areas of society. The similarities between politics of the left and of the right are more than the differences and society should dwell on the similarities. They call the super-ideology industrialization, which, he says, is the machine of progress (Ellis & Stimson, 2012). Conservatism ideology Conservatism is an aristocratic ideology given the many similarities between them. Conservatism advocates for preservation of the best in society with an opposing view on the effecting of radical changes. This is the same view held by the philosopher Aristotle in his teachings and presentation of ideologies. He advocated for a good education with order in society without radicalism. Another similarity between the two is that both ideologies require the election or nomination into power of leaders who are capable to handle issues of the society in a sober way. Conservatism has nine schools of thought under it. They are liberal conservatism, conservative liberalism, libertarian conservatism, fiscal conservatism, green conservatism, national and traditional conservatism, cultural and social conservatism, religious conservatism, and progressive conservatism. The one thing differentiating one form of conservatism from the other is that, while they all focus on influencing politics, each has its own approach to how the best in society should be preserved. As suggested by the names, the various forms of conservatism apply the doctrines and principles of a given social structure such as religion and liberalism to conservatism. According to conservatives, human is nature is greatly flawed but with the potential of being pure and perfect. They are of the opinion that human beings are selfish and their choices are often flawed. When society is in need of capable and wise leaders, the human nature chooses leadership basing on other qualities, which are irrelevant. The result is very slow progress in society. The same conservatives are of the opinion that it is possible that human beings can make the right choices given that that ability is deep within their conscience. Religion and other social structures also make this possible. Ellis and Stimson argue that the ‘first and most leading principle on which the commonwealth and the laws are consecrated’ is religion. It is only with religion that people can be emptied of their lust of selfish will. This principle is further explained to mean that the inheritance of one generation to the next should not be destroyed in any way given that it is through precedence that humans learn of what should entail the law. Finally, this principle eliminates the pride of human intellect given that it is based upon doctrines, which are free from prejudice and error. When this principle is broken, ‘personal self-sufficiency and arrogance would usurp the tribunal.’ This means that, without the principle of religion, which borrows from the wisdom of generations that came before one’s, the law, would be based upon the little wisdom one generation can accumulate. Such a kind of wisdom is little and would only be based upon the arrogance of those in power with the result that they would make decisions based on their ignorance. The proper relationship between individuals and the state, according to Ellis and Stimson, is that the individual should only look into the defects of the state with the utmost caution. The individual should never dream of beginning the reformation of the state by the subversion of the same. Just as if one approaches the wounds of their father ‘pious awe and trembling solicitude,’ Burke advises that the individual should approach the faults of the state in a similar way. Socialism Capitalism is a political and economic system whereby a nation’s industry and trade are in the hands of private individuals and not the state. It is also referred to as free enterprise, free market or private enterprise. Traditionally, socialists have been hostile to the idea of capitalism given that it is directly in opposition of their ideology. This is because, as the socialists hold it, capitalism is against the benefits of the common citizen as it concentrates wealth in a few hands at the expense of the majority who are poor (Ellis & Stimson, 2012). Ellis and Stimson (2012) argue that towards the end of the 20th century, the victories of the New Right in the United States and Britain and the collapse of the Eastern bloc increased the social and economic inequality in society. The two events mentioned above, widened the gap between the rich and the poor ‘both on a world scale and within individual countries.’ Such inequalities are not new to society, but, following the two incidences, society became more aware of their presence and effects on people. The greatest weakness of egalitarian liberalism is ‘its assumption that justice can be done within the framework of a capitalist market economy.’ In this sense, egalitarian liberalism neglects the role of exploitation, which characterizes many capitalist economies all over the world. Without considering the other factors that make up a capitalist market in the eyes of an economist, egalitarian liberalism assumes that justice is achievable. A capitalist market has players (buyers and sellers) who are not making their deals on the same level of influence as egalitarian liberalism assumes. In this way, this type of liberalism fails to deliver. It is hard to imagine a socialist alternative to capitalism due to many reasons. The major one is that, since the collapse of the powerful Soviet Union, many who believed in socialism highly doubted its viability. The available alternatives to capitalism, such as market socialism, offer half-baked solutions to this problem. What faces those seeking a viable solution to capitalism and with a social view do the differences exist between individuals in terms of ability, need, and influence. It thus becomes almost impossible to determine the effects of replacing capitalism with socialism. Marxism Social democrats, according to Ellis and Stimson (2012), should provide the workers with knowledge about socialism given that the workers could only have heard about strikes but nothing about socialism. Socialism, Ellis and Stimson argues, Marxism has very important facts for the workers and should thus be known. Given that social democrats hold this knowledge, they have the responsibility of passing it on to the workers who hold the power for change in any political and economic system. Participation in political events shall ensure that everyone, especially the worker, is on the same page with everyone else in society. The passing of information should take the form of ‘living arraignments’ of what the ruling class and the government are up to at every single time. Unlike in the normal ways where brochures, disquisitions, and articles are used, realistic ways should be employed. The knowledge the social democrats acquire this knowledge from their continual interaction with the ruling class on one hand and the worker on the other. Communists do not form a separate party opposed to other working-class parties. Ellis and Stimson (2012) modify this idea by stating that, all over the world, individuals slowly begin to understand on whose side the government leans. Unlike Marx’s idea, the authors introduces the aspect of unifying the ideas of the communists with those of the working class and says that, for an effectively working economic and political structure, it is required that the two do not work in opposition but as one unit with a focus on similar goals. Fascism Cultural and racial aspects of the state relate in many ways. First, the culture of a state determines the pace at which progress is achieved. This is because the living conditions, which are determined largely by the culture of the people, have a direct effect on the pace of progress. The same aspect is true for the racial composition of a people. It is race that determines the culture of a people. Culture and race, therefore, are closely linked in any given state. Germany had not become the ‘mistress of the globe’, because its people had not possessed the herd unity other groups of people were enjoying. If Germans had existed as a pure race, they would have seen to their state becoming a world power dominating others. He blames the other races that had occupied Germany and ‘contaminated’ the blood of its people. He intends to make Germany a pure race with people who shall become masters of the world by way of subjugation and, unlike the mixed races, not complain about what cannot be achieved. The ‘highest task’ of the German state, according to Hitler, is to preserve and promote the noblest elements of its nationality, which remains intact. He argues that, even in situations where there had been racial interbreeding, while the resultant people had values, they were less effective compared to those of a pure race, which Germany should aim for. The aim for the promotion and preservation of the noblest elements of the nationality of Germany is aimed at enabling the state in achieving, for the first time, ‘a lofty inner goal.’ Reference Ellis, C & Stimson, J. (2012). Ideology in America. 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