Ideology is defined as a set of coherent ideals believed to be true by a certain group or community to justify a group-perspective on existing social-political structures. Ideology is thus the social reflection of ideas.
In Marxist understanding, Ideology thus forms a part of Superstructure. Marx defines the motion of history as a dialectic class conflict over economic factors. The base of this Historical Materialism is thus Economic Relations between classes, ideology being born of ideas thus has no independent existence and is built upon the dialectics of class conflict. Therefore in Marxian thought, Ideology is seen as a false consciousness perpetrated by the ruling class as Marx identifies in his book "German Ideology" where he urges workers to shake off the Capitalist ideology subjugating them. According to Marx, since Ideology is seen as a construct of class conflict, in a Communist society no Ideology can exist, and as Marxism is the science of Historical Materialism, it is not an ideological belief but an inevitability.
In post-Marxist Communist thought, Gramsci has identified Ideology as an instrument of Totalitarianism. He contends that by disregarding the role of Superstructures in shaping history, Marxist thought had committed a grave error that led to the failure of Communist movements in Europe in the 1930s and eventually caused the rise of Totalitarian Fascism. Here he has established a two-way model of State-society where Ideology of Superstructure influences the Base and thus drives Class Conflict in favour of the ruling class. This gives rise to Hegemony of the Ruling class that manufactures consent of the proletariat to establish and continue a totalitarian regime.
In modern times, we can use the example of Juche Philosophy of North Korea that manufactures working class consent to continue the totalitarian regime of DPRK.
Nevertheless, the Marxist understanding of Ideology has been criticised from both within and outside Socialist school. Post-Marxist Karl Mannheim in his book "Ideology and Utopia" has identified Utopia as a form of Ideology that can be used as motivation for the sub-altern, thereby helping shake off instruments of domination. Liberal scholar Karl Popper has established that since Historical Materialism is not open to falsification, it fails the test of being a science and can thus be itself called an ideology.
Comment. "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters pain and pleasure, it is for them alone to point out what we ought to do and what we shall do" Bentham.
Ideology is defined as a set of coherent ideals believed to be true by a certain group or community to justify a group-perspective on existing social-political structures. Ideology is thus the social reflection of ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn Marxist understanding, Ideology thus forms a part of Superstructure. Marx defines the motion of history as a dialectic class conflict over economic factors. The base of this Historical Materialism is thus Economic Relations between classes, ideology being born of ideas thus has no independent existence and is built upon the dialectics of class conflict.
Therefore in Marxian thought, Ideology is seen as a false consciousness perpetrated by the ruling class as Marx identifies in his book "German Ideology" where he urges workers to shake off the Capitalist ideology subjugating them.
According to Marx, since Ideology is seen as a construct of class conflict, in a Communist society no Ideology can exist, and as Marxism is the science of Historical Materialism, it is not an ideological belief but an inevitability.
In post-Marxist Communist thought, Gramsci has identified Ideology as an instrument of Totalitarianism. He contends that by disregarding the role of Superstructures in shaping history, Marxist thought had committed a grave error that led to the failure of Communist movements in Europe in the 1930s and eventually caused the rise of Totalitarian Fascism. Here he has established a two-way model of State-society where Ideology of Superstructure influences the Base and thus drives Class Conflict in favour of the ruling class. This gives rise to Hegemony of the Ruling class that manufactures consent of the proletariat to establish and continue a totalitarian regime.
In modern times, we can use the example of Juche Philosophy of North Korea that manufactures working class consent to continue the totalitarian regime of DPRK.
Nevertheless, the Marxist understanding of Ideology has been criticised from both within and outside Socialist school. Post-Marxist Karl Mannheim in his book "Ideology and Utopia" has identified Utopia as a form of Ideology that can be used as motivation for the sub-altern, thereby helping shake off instruments of domination. Liberal scholar Karl Popper has established that since Historical Materialism is not open to falsification, it fails the test of being a science and can thus be itself called an ideology.