Ideology

IDEOLOGY IS A COHERENT system of ideas that orients collective conscience in relation to national, political, class, ethnic, or even religious affiliation. It is not simply a philosophy, a scientific doctrine, or a political program held by an individual, but a theoretical framework with a certain power to explain reality and motivate people to action whenever it is accepted by a collectivity and put into practice. As this set of ideas gains wider acceptability and a practical impact, it acquires political status and is recognized as valid. This, in turn, can be used to promote certain attitudes in the general population.

The term ideology has often been used, in a somewhat positive sense, to identify the way by which certain popular groups or movements embrace idealistic convictions and question the status quo by means of radical political activism. Thus, groups such as workers' unions, women's movements, student groups, and environmentalists have been characterized as ideological, since many times they equate their convictions to utopian ideals, religious beliefs, or aesthetic narratives.

However, the term ideology has also been used in a rather negative sense, which implies a form of manipulation. This perspective indicates that the acceptance of certain beliefs without question and the implementation of these ideas without reflection is nothing but blind activism that needs to be criticized. Such activism occurs, according to many analysts, both on the right and on the left, even though the term ideology has been used first and primarily to identify leftist movements. In both cases, however, ideology is expressed as a political behavior that has dogmatism as its main characteristic, often with obvious religious connotations. These movements hold only to certain general ideas that are affirmed in a radical way, without checking their sources or measuring their consequences.

The term ideology has been understood and applied in different ways and needs to be differentiated from utopian visions, religious doctrines or beliefs, party programs, or aesthetic attitudes. In order to understand the origins of the term, its applications, and how its use has changed over time, social and historical considerations are necessary.