Article Summary

Meaning of Ideology
Alfred James A. Ellar Philosophy, Graduate School De La Salle University-Manila

The central discussion of this article is focused on distinguishing different descriptions of the meaning or senses of ideology. Basically, there are three categories basis for theories of ideology, in which ideology is employed and understood: ideology in the descriptive sense, ideology in pejorative sense, and ideology in positive sense. The presentation of the article is more on a kind of typology than a critical assessment of ideology as it is used in various forms and sense. Nevertheless, bountiful information had achieved in the presentation. First, ideology as understood in the descriptive sense is mostly related to empirical human study, particularly in the field of anthropology. In this sense, the focus is on the socio-cultural context and feature of a certain group of people with shared beliefs, traditions, pattern of behavior, dispositions and systems. This could further explain through its broad and narrow senses. On one hand, broadly speaking, every human group has its own ideology, that is, the agents of any group will have some psychological dispositions, use some concepts, and have some beliefs. However, ideology in this sense does not comprise only those beliefs, habits, attitudes, traits which all the members of a group shares, since human groups contains variety, diversity, and conflicts. As such, this sense of ideology is nonevaluative and non-judgmental because no one can praise or blame such group for having such sense kind of ideology. On the other hand, narrowly speaking, ideology refers to some subset of the set of all the discursive elements concepts, ideas, and beliefs. In this narrow sense, one can distinguish between ideologies on the basis of differences in their manifest contents as well as can distinguish in terms of functional properties. As such, the ideology can be construed as a kind of world-view of a particular group inasmuch as this group uses its ideology to determine certain differences in relation to others ideologies. Finally, ideology in the descriptive sense can be understood in terms of programmatic sense, that is, ideology is a way of translating ideas into action and defines ideology as an al-inclusive system of comprehensive reality. This means that ideology is a program or a plan for action based on a systematic model of a society as a whole which held by the people in confidence rather than by evidence. Second, ideology can be understood in a pejorative sense, that is, an ideology can be a kind of criticism of the belief, attitudes, and wants of agents in a particular society. As a form of criticism, the

members of a certain group is viewed as deluded of themselves, and have false consciousness known as forms of consciousness. A form of consciousness is ideologically false in virtue of some epistemic properties, functional properties, and genetic properties: (a) in terms of epistemic properties means taking a belief which is not empirically verifiable as being cognitively meaningful in its epistemic status; (b) in terms of functional properties means its role in supporting, stabilizing, or legitimizing certain kinds of social institutions or practices; and (c) in terms of genetic properties mean that the beliefs and attitudes which composed the ideology are related in a causal sense to the social institution and thereby to the interest of the believer or agent. As such, being used in the pejorative sense, ideology is a criticism because it looks at a certain system of people of having incorporating beliefs which are false, or because it functions in a reprehensible way or because it has tainted origin. Third, ideology in the positive sense can be understood in terms of satisfying certain very deepseated human needs, which are vital to achieve a kind of meaningful life and the kind of identity which is possible only for an agent who stands for what he believe. Ideology provides the agents with certain approved models of actions, goals, ideals and values, and by furnishing interpretations of some important features of human life, that is, positive ideology enables the agents effectively to satisfy some of their needs and desires. The ideology serves as the supporting justification of what a certain group of peoples beliefs, habits, attitudes, dispositions, etc. In order to satisfy these needs and desires, there must be some restrictions between achieving the desires in relations to needs. Finally, there is a discussion of the Frankfurt school critical ideology, in which the members of the school have concluded theses on ideology as: that radical criticism of society and criticism of the dominant ideology are inseparable; that ideologiekritik is not just a form of moralizing criticism, but also in itself a cognitive enterprise, and that ideologiekritik differs significantly in cognitive structure from natural science. From the various descriptions of ideology mentioned above, ideology could be viewed as something that could be present and represent in all intellectual framework of various society and culture. It is an inevitable stand by which people assumed views and reaction about their social, moral, cultural and political affairs. It is an inescapable mental reference by which it gives meaning to the course of peoples historical struggle to real themselves as group of people distinct from other groups. It gives values to whatever their hold to be acceptable and desirable for their society. It gives something a direction a line of thoughts for the future/next generation of people who would be inheritors of profundity of their claims, and make these thoughts abundant to response to their needs of their generation.