POL 315 MODULE 2
UNIT 2
IDEOLOGY AND FALSE CONSCIOUSNESS
CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Objectives
3.0 Main Content
3.1 Ideology and False Consciousness
4.0 Conclusion
5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment
7.0 References/Further Reading
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Ideology is a set of ideas which are accepted to be true by a particular
group without further examination. These ideas are invoked in order to
justify or denounce a particular way of social, economic or political
organisation. In this sense, ideology is a matter of faith; it has no
scientific basis. An ideology is action-oriented. It presents a cause
before its adherents and induces them to fight for that cause, and to
make sacrifices for its realisation.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
• explain how ideology can be applied as a set of ideas which are
accepted to be true by a particular group, party or nation without
further examination
• discuss how ideology can be applied as the science of ideas
which examines how different ideas are formed, how truth is
distorted, and how we can overcome distortions to discover true
knowledge.
3.0 MAIN CONTENT
3.1 Ideology and False Consciousness Ideology
Heywood, 2007 applied the term 'ideology' in two contexts- (a) a set of
ideas which are accepted to be true by a particular group, party or nation
without further examination; and (b) the science of ideas which
examines as to how different ideas are formed, how truth is distorted,
and how we can overcome distortions to discover true knowledge.
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