Re: AUT: ideology

[Ilan Shalif <gshalif@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi people
The "idea" of 'circle' can be of various levels.
The analytical one will put it as "a curved line
all its points are on the same plain with the same distance
from one point".

Of course not all people know this, or care - though
circles are very relevant to their life.


"Ideology" is a non analytic concept related to the
analytic concept/content of "the system of opinions and believes".

Most of the people of industrialized countries learn at school
about circles... but very few learn - even in universities about
the systems of opinions and believes as a whole.

Specific opinions and believes - even when studied, are often like
"the trees that hide the forest".

neil wrote:

> I think here  and amongst revolutionaries generally , there is
> a big underestimation of the social  force, nature  of  ideology.

I think the problem is not underestimation of these processes
but the confusion about what it really is.

Because most of the relevant processes discovered are not
compatible with the pro capitalist system of believes and opinions,
they were not shared with the wide public.

Even most of the anti capitalist revolutionaries of the libertarian
left, are mostly functioning on the intuitive mode.

In essence, we are making efforts to influence the development
and change of the system of believes and opinions of people we
are in political communication with, of the working class, and of
society as a whole.

> In class societies, ideological struggles , contradictions
> are inevitable.

It will be never possible for all people to have the same
system of opinions and believes. However, the differences
do not have to be so different and contradicted as it is
class society.

> One marxist sage correctly pointed out this it was no more
> possible not  to be influenced by & be rid of ideology in the modern world
> than
> the thinking of Marx's 'valiant fellow'  who thought that men
> were drowned in water because of the " idea of gravity"!!

I have not read yet any "Marxist" - old or young who really
knew what is the real dynamics of the complicated system of opinions
and believes of individuals and of sections of society.

> Ideology is not just illusions or religious like dogmas of
> confused individuals but a real materially based 'social consciousness'

There are lot of social processes that influence the systems
of opinions and believes of individuals and on the more
or less similarities in the systems of sections of society.

As the system of believes and opinions influence so much
the behaviors of people and social dynamics, we better
acquire as much knowledge as possible on these processes.

> As such it will never be banished in class societies !
> It omnipresent nature is due to  objectively constituted
> and refurbished nature as the  political conscoiusness  of
> class antagonistic societies.

Many big words that do not treat the subject in the sharp
rational-factual mode needed. Opinions and believes
are part of being alive....

> The conflicts of social interests are also joined in
> their  many manifestaions  in the plane of social
> consciousness in varied but by no means independent
> ideological  discussions, Organized mass information methods,  etc
>  and  eventually has its profound
> impacts  on the material social processses.

Sure, the systems of opinions and believes are built and
rebuilt in the social arena or with regard to it. Not in
any vacuum.

> Influencial ideologies in class society  have more 'totalizing'
> concepts  for the very nature of posing as  qualitatively
> differing alternative to their rivals. The rival ideologies in
> of any historical epoch, especially our own,  are part of the
> practical consciousness  which the major contending classes
> in society  will relate to as they oppose each  other to
> explain, to  promote and advocate for  their conception of  human  thoughts
> and attitudes  in the social order for which they defend /oppose.

As the systems of believes and opinion are the dominant factor
influencing people behavior, any one and especially those
who want to control or influence others, make efforts to
influence the opinions and believes of individuals, and more
so on those most relevant to the function of society.

For instance, the elite of the capitalist class do any thing they can
to disrupt the opinions and believes which promote equality an freedom.

They also do their best to mold the opinions and believes
regarding solidarity so they will be restricted to "national
solidarity" so they will not include working class solidarity
and unrestricted humanist solidarity.
Ilan



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