- What is Ideology?
Ideology, to me, is how a person thinks of themselves and others, and the physical and social environment that they live in, and how those aspects shape their views. A person is subject to being shaped by how they view their environment, just as much as how they view the people around them. If they like the people around them, they are more than likely to adopt and share views with them. The opposite is true if they dislike the people or environment around them.
An example of this would be how children shape their views as they grow up. If they are fond of their parents and have respect for them, and their parents agree with conservative views, the child is likely to adopt those views. If a child does not respect their conservative minded parents, they may choose to have different or even opposite views.
I also understand ideology as a way for people to express themselves and their beliefs. As the second video states, ideology is one whole and, in our case, a means for society to keep in line with how capitalism functions. So, when we adopt certain ideologies, it is a way for people in society to express how they think by structuring their thoughts within the different ideologies accepted in our society (left, right, center). Although, some people in society can structure their thoughts around ideologies that would be deemed unacceptable in a capitalist society, like communism.
2. How are conservative and liberal ideologies different?
Conservative and liberal ideologies are mainly different by how they believe the size of our federal government should be and their outreach. Conservatives think that the government will obstruct an individual’s liberty and get in the way of the free market performing to its maximum capabilities in order to provide the best opportunities to individuals. They then believe the federal government should be small and the majority of government should be run by the state and local governments. They would prefer decisions on public education, health care, environmental protections be left up to smaller government structures or even left to the private sector. Liberals see the federal government as a way to helps solve issues in the public and private sectors. They believe the government can keep firms in check and protect society from firms abusing their power that they have attain through production and capital by enforcing regulations. This stems from the idea that the free market will not be fair to everyone. Liberals also advocate for a more progressive tax system, and that enough tax dollars are spent on National Defense. They would prefer that more tax dollars flow into subsidizing public education, healthcare, and housing.
3. How do you understand Althusser’s definition of ideology?
I understand Althusser’s definition of ideology as it being a means to get society in line with how it is supposed to function based on its type of economy, (capitalist, communist, socialist, etc.). Ideology is said, by Althusser, to be a whole system, with both the repressive and ideological apparatus in play to give you the illusion of choice or face the consequences. The consequences would be enacted through forced restrictions by the police, courts, and prisons, in order to keep society from revolting.
