Religion, Science and Ideology Flashcards
What is ideology
- a set of ideas which influence society
- a term used to describe a belief system that is either factually or morally wrong
How do conflict theories view ideology ?
- See it in negative terms
- ideology distorts the whole truth
- the ideas are of a dominant group
- ideology is used to manipulate and justify - rejects criticism
How is ideology relevant to us
- We live under a capitalist ideology
- Politics - ideologies around left and right wing politics
What are the 4 main aspects to ideology
1: distorted or mistaken, one sided view of the world/reality
2: ideas that conceal the interests of a particular group, or that legitimate their privileges
3: ideas that prevent change by misleading people about the reality of the situation
4: a self-sustaining belief system that is irrational and closed to criticism
Marxism and ideology
- society is divided into two opposed classes
- ruling class dominates the working class - working class is exploited
- ideology creates a false consciousness
- justifies the existing status quo
- Althusser - ideological state apparatus e.g. education, media, religion all support ruling class ideology
- Gramsci - Hegemony - intellectuals can create a counter hegemony and overthrow capitalism
What is nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that argues nations are real, distinctive communities which should be self-governing and that national loyalty and identity should come before all others such as tribe, class or religion
Marxism and nationalism
Argue that nationalism is a form of false class consciousness that helps prevent the overthrow of capitalism by dividing the international working class. This is because nationalism encourages workers to believe they have more in common with the capitalists of their country than with workers of other countries
Functionalism and nationalism
See nationalism as a secular civil religion, which unites everyone into a single national community. Like religion it integrates individuals into larger social political units, making them feel part of something greater than themselves. For functionalists, education plays an important part in creating social solidarity and this may include collective rituals such as the flag and national anthem
Nationalism + Gellner
Argues that nationalism is a modern phenomenon. Industrialisation created large scale impersonal societies with a complex division of labour, so modern society needs some means of enabling communication between strangers to take place, especially in the economy. Nationalism makes this possible through education state which imposes a single standard national culture and language on every member of society.
Mannheim - conflict view
Free floating intelligentsia - solution to Mannheim
Feminism and ideology
Science as a belief system
Open belief systems - Popper
Merton - the CUDOS norms
