ideology

- Scott Miller Wow. The lib chic claws are out today… it seems as though liberal woman pundits - raving about the historic nature of Hillary’s run - are really not interested in supporting a strong woman after all. Forget all that talk about woman’s suffrage. Forget all that talk about equality. Forget all that talk about [...]

What do we know about Afghanistan? Probably very little. We all know of it’s existence, we speculate about its tentative links to terrorism yet very few of us understan what our historical links or reason for being in Afghanistan are. I’ve started on Hamida Ghafour’s "The Sleeping Buddha" - a narrative on her return to Afghanistan after the "liberation". Ghafour provides a personal ins

Ten years ago, on August 7, 1998 , Al-Qaeda conducted simultaneous car bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania . Over 250 died in these attacks, including 10 Americans at the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, and 6000 were reported injured. The August 7, 2008 East African Standard reports that new intelligence reports show that the Al-Qaeda terrorists planned in Nairobi "to

My recent essay on Keynesianism vs Monetarism raised the issue of ideological beliefs amongst economists. It is hard to avoid associating yourself with a particular school of economics or certain ideology. But, if we become too attached to a set of beliefs it can cloud our judgement. What happens is we start to look for evidence to support our preconceived ideas, rather than looking at evidence an

Yet another one of these things is making the rounds… What is your political ideology? Your Result: Libertarian This quiz has defined you as a Libertarian. Keep in mind, this ideology can be applied to the right or left in the social sense. You believe in a minimal role of the government in solving problems and believe [...]

I'm not a global warming believer. I'm not a global warming denier. I'm a global warming agnostic who believes instinctively that it can't be very good to pump lots of CO2 into the atmosphere, but is equally convinced that those who presume to know exactly where that leads are talking through their hats.

~Snooper~You decide:[...] Radarsite is a conservative pro-American, pro-Western, pro-Israel, pro-military website. Radarsite was developed as an attempt to counter the self-loathing, self-destructive leftist anti-Americanism rampant in today's Western culture. Our skewered MSM is overflowing with it. To be considered knowledgeable in today's ungrateful topsy-turvy world one must be loudly and prou

Welcome to this year's 20th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! Fedora 9 came out last week as expected, but the many experimental features and software packages in the distribution seem to detract some would-be users from upgrading their distribution. Do you enjoy testing the latest and greatest the Linux development world has to offer? Then Fedora 9 is for you. Otherwise look elsewhere. In the news sec

Welcome to this year's 20th issue of DistroWatch Weekly! Fedora 9 came out last week as expected, but the many experimental features and software packages in the distribution seem to detract some would-be users from upgrading their distribution. Do you enjoy testing the latest and greatest the Linux development world has to offer? Then Fedora 9 is for you. Otherwise look elsewhere. In the news sec

According to recent U.S. government reports and senior U.S. counterterrorism officials, contesting al-Qaeda's message is no less important than capturing or killing the group's operatives. And as the administration prioritizes its agenda for the last eight months in office, recognizing the need for a refocused communication plan to highlight the bankruptcy of al-Qaeda's ideology is a critical -- albeit overdue -- part of a reengineered counterterrorism strategy. The State Department's 2007 Country...(read more)

Título: Progressive Ethnocentrism: Ideology and Understanding in Dominican Baseball Autor:Alan Klein Periódico: Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 32, 121-138, 2008 Resumo: clique aqui para obter

Prior to 1990, just a fifth of Americans spying for others were ideologically motivated.The March report, obtained by the Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy in Government project, compares trends among the 173 Americans known to have spied against the U.S. since 1947, of which 37 began their spying since 1990.Only five of those 37 spies are known to have received payment for their work. Of the 11 spies identified since 2000, none was paid — although five had hoped to be. But almost half of those spying against the U.S. since 1990 demonstrated an allegiance to a foreign country or cause.Increasingly, that cause is wrapped up in the war on terror. More...

ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) alliance came in to being in 2001, with support of 26 NATO nations, 10 Partner countries and 4 Non-NATO Non EAPC State, Currently With 19,000 US troops being largest and 7,750 troops from United Kingdom. Initially ISAF was operation in Kabul against the Taliban and other Local Fighters and were working to strengthen the Puppet Government of Hamid Karz

Last week I mentioned the count-down to Iowa, well its here. With the Christmas Holidays here this remains the last full week- end for candidates to do the dotting of the (i) and the crossing of the (t)..... as the cliche goes. If the caucus were held now, I think the results would have been as meaningful as on January 3--not too many minds being changed at this time, I would hope. That said, the political fix is on; and given our frustration to hear an absolutely clear message , in another breath we lament-- "the thrill is gone". Nevertheless, by refusing to settle for the "noise" created by the Season, and amplified by wrapping paper and aromas from the kitchen- this may be the time to talk Foreign Affairs.No one denies, as more questions are asked of Senator Clinton we can see the writing on the wall. Among the tough questions -- her ability to take on the reins as Commander-in Chief. In that light I share a summary of a recent article circulated by the Council o

The discourse of victimisation is almost the predominant discourse today. You can be a victim of the environment, of smoking, of sexual harassment. I find this reduction of the subject to a victim sad. In what sense? There is an extremely narcissistic notion of personality here. And, indeed, an intolerant one, insofar as what it means is that we can no longer tolerate violent encounters with others - and these encounters are always violent. Let me briefly address sexual harassment for a moment. Of course I am opposed to it, but let’s be frank. Say I am passionately attached, in love, or whatever, to another human being and I declare my love, my passion for him or her. There is always something shocking, violent in it. This may sound like a joke, but it isn’t - you cannot do the game of erotic seduction in politically correct terms. There is a moment of violence, when you say: ‘I love you, I want you.’ In no way can you bypass this violent aspect. So I even th

In the media coverage of Pakistan President Musharraf's declaration of emergency and martial law, Islamists objecting to his emergency declaration are being portrayed as defenders of Pakistani freedom, when in fact they represent pro-Jihad, Islamist anti-freedom ideologies. While there are certainly other genuinely pro-freedom individuals who object to Musharraf's emergency declaration, media sources are combining reports of anti-freedom Islamists' criticism along with other democratic opponents...(read more)

compiled by Ralph Dumain 1. What does “ideology” mean to you? 2. What are the various ways the term is used? 3. What is the history (and pre-history) of the concept, from De Tracy (1797) on? 4. Is ideology bad, good, neutral? 5. Is “ideology” bad faith, or just a deceptive veil of appearances? 6. If bad faith, is ideology primarily a deception of others, or of oneself? 7. Can true beliefs be used ideologically? (In other words: one’s relationship to one’s ideas) 8. Are ideologies explicit or tacit? 9. Is ideology primarily a system of ideas or beliefs, or an embodied structure of social practices? 10. How does social position affect ideology? What do people in different social positions share ideologically? How do they differ? What different sorts of real

by Raymond Williams Ideology first appeared in English in 1796, as a direct translation of the new French word ideologie which had been proposed in that year by the rationalist philosopher Destutt de Tracy. Taylor (1796): ‘Tracy read a paper and proposed to call the philosophy of mind, ideology’. Taylor (1797): ‘… ideology, or the science of ideas, in order to distinguish it from the ancient metaphysics’. In this scientific sense, ideology was used in epistemology and linguistic theory until lC19. A different sense, initiating the main modern meaning, was popularized by Napoleon Bonaparte. In an attack on the proponents of democracy — ‘who misled the people by elevating them to a sovereignty which they were incapable of exercising’ — he attacked

Qiyamah, aharit ha-yamim, Final Judgement, Day of Purification, Ragnarok, the Apocalypse, Armageddon. The phrases above all refer to the same general event: the end of the world. One of the most dehumanising and potentially dangerous beliefs that virtually all religions, and certainly all monotheisms share, is the end of the world. Worse still, monotheism actively looks forward to the end of the world. Moreover, whether consciously or subconsciously, it looks to get our real human life out of the way as soon as possible. I think there is something perverse about this belief, and there is no denying it: all monotheisms teach that this life is only temporary; a short sinful stop in a depraved world where the alternative to belief is nihilism, before we finally pass over to the next life where we will be rewarded forever and ever in paradise or tortured forever and ever in hell (disproportionate to say the least, would one think, given that eternity is infinite and our human lives are i

Welcome to Conversations with Bob! Here is Bob's latest!John, Nice Post. We have dealt with world and national problems the Presbyterian way. You know the Presbyterian way to solve social problems don’t you? We write a report about it! Seriously, we clearly agree on ecology, global warming, the sinful use of resources while ignoring the needs of the poor and teen pregnancy. We also agree on our reaction to politicians saying what great Christians they are. I do want policies that agree with Biblical ideals but think such policies can come from a principled non-Christian. Wasn’t it Luther who said that he would rather have a just Turk as a ruler rather than an unjust Christian? If I understand what you say about theology, ideology and reinterpretation I think we disagree. I’m all for changing theology so that it matches the Bible. If Calvin got something wrong I am willing to say so. And yes, I do look at the whole Bible through the lens, (thank you for the word flyc

From an article posted over at the Muslims Speak Out Blog, hosted by the Washington Post, comes what I view as textbook taqiyya. Step lightly and with rubber boots on, there’s much bull#$%! ahead (denoted by added emphasis): Ideology vs. Information: Developing a Muslim Fourth Estate By Firas Ahmad & al-Husein N. Madhany Robert Baer, the former Middle East CIA operative, recently interviewed a 17-year-old suicide bomber from Afghanistan who was caught before he could undertake the attack. Baer discovers that, far from being a rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth, anti-American zealot, the boy was simply brainwashed into believing Al Qaeda’s ideology. Among the absurdities the boy believed was that the President of Pakistan, Pervaiz Musharaff, was a Jew. Ideology is the refuge of con men. Its influence is derived from restricting the availability of information so as to manipulate the way people view the world. Ideology flourishes in environments where reality is oversimplified int

Writes: Christopher Dickey Newsweek — July 13, 2007 “Ideology” is a word that President George W. Bush likes to use almost as much as “terrorist.” In presenting the lack-of-progress report about Iraq yesterday, he justified the negligible and negative results of the surge in troops by arguing “we are at the beginning of a great ideological conflict.” [...]

One of the things I have always condemned the Democrats for is allowing their ideology to over rule commonsense. But this is a perfect example of the Bush administration doing exactly that. And for a White House that prides itself on loyalty above all else there have been an amazing amount of defections over the last year or so. Are they rats from a sinking ship or men of conscience and honor? You'll have to decide. ~RJH Washington Post story link Ex-Surgeon General Says White House Hushed HimBy Christopher LeeWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, July 11, 2007; A01Former surgeon general Richard H. Carmona yesterday accused the Bush administration of muzzling him on sensitive public health issues, becoming the most prominent voice among several current and former federal science officials who have complained of political interference.Carmona, a Bush nominee who served from 2002 to 2006, told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that political appointees in the admi

In case there was any doubt about the lengths to which the Bush administration will go to promote their Christian extremist ideology over competence, we have a reminder in the form of Dr. James Holsinger, Bush's nominee for Surgeon General. Not only did Dr. Holsinger help found a church that views homosexuality as a choice that can be "cured," but his writings reflect his beliefs that homosexuality is unhealthy.If you are like me, you are asking yourself what a physician is doing founding conservative churches in the first place, but let's set that aside for now. It is of greater concern that we could end up with a Surgeon General who sounds like he received his medical training at Regents University.From the Associate Press as reported on LEX18 News:"He has a pretty clear bias against gays and lesbians," said Christina Gilgor, director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, a gay rights group. "This ideology flies in the face of current scientific medical studies. That makes me uneasy t

INTRODUCTIONFidel Castro is the most recognizable face in twentieth century Latin America. Since his accession to power in Cuba on the eve of 1959, he has never allowed his influence to be undermined in the region. The intent of this paper is to show how Castroism or Fidelismo (different names for the same ideology) is unique and has influenced countries throughout the world.This paper will minimally address the personal lives of Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, including their family life and education. Subsequently, the ideology of Castroism/Fidelismo will be summarized and critiqued. Finally, the exportation of the ideology and the formation of Castroite support structures across Latin America will be defined.Conclusions are that it is an original ideology, unique to communism, even though it has Marxist-Leninist influence in the post-revolution Cuba. Influenced almost entirely by Castro and Guevara’s writings and policies, its central tenet is that of revolution,

Second to atheism, I believe the topic on which I have read the most this year would be that of Iraq - specifically path to and initial management of the war by the Bush administration. I'm currently just over halfway through Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War, almost certainly a book I will be able to recommend after I finish it. After reading this and several other lengthy tomes on Bush and Iraq, one conclusion is inescapable: the central theme (and perhaps even the legacy of his administration) is one of ideology winning over reality and the devastating consequences this has wrought.For someone who has been doing so much reading on the subject, I have written surprisingly little about Iraq here. In part, this has been a deliberate choice because I think there are a number of excellent political blogs doing a better job with this complicated subject than I probably could. And yet, I must also acknowledge that part of my reluctance has come abo

By it’s nature an ideological approach is a reductionist approach since the wide sweeping panorama of reality is reduced to fit set ideological directions. The ideology becomes the filter through which reality is viewed and it reduces vastly complex interactions to simplified statements and judgments that are more reflective of the mental state of the [...]

By it’s nature an ideological approach is a reductionist approach since the wide sweeping panorama of reality is reduced to fit set ideological directions. The ideology becomes the filter through which reality is viewed and it reduces vastly complex interactions to simplified statements and judgments that are more reflective of the mental state of the [...]

Political instability and turmoil, war, conflict, oppression - all contribute to shape individuals who act and react in desperate ways and who in that desperation are susceptible to the manipulation and influence of those who see, in conflict, an excuse and opportunity to pursue suppressed ambitions - sometimes through unbalanced (one-sided), tilted, slanted interpretations [...]

Political instability and turmoil, war, conflict, oppression - all contribute to shape individuals who act and react in desperate ways and who in that desperation are susceptible to the manipulation and influence of those who see, in conflict, an excuse and opportunity to pursue suppressed ambitions - sometimes through unbalanced (one-sided), tilted, slanted interpretations [...]

The state and general Indonesian public have neglected and no longer refer to the state ideology of Pancasila in conducting their daily affairs, including in decision making and legislative processes, a philosophy expert said. M. Sastrapratedja of the Driyarkara School of Philosophy said many of Indonesia's problems had never been questioned or reflected upon using the five principals of Pancasila. "Poverty, structural violence, state violence toward the people, conflicts among ethnic religious groups, as well as low education levels, that currently exist in the country are against Pancasila, especially against the second principle of a just and civilized humanity," Sastrapratedja said.

What happens when ideology becomes more important than scientifical critical thinking?Trofim Lysenko (see picture), quickly became a very prominent "scientist" in the soviet union following an article printed in Pravda (aka "the truth") about this barefooted peasant who "solved problems". Even though he had little education and was barely literate Lysenko progressed rapidly in the soviet system and it did not take many years before he controlled much of the agricultural policy in the soviet union. Lysenko was a practical man who cared about practical issues rather than theoretical nonsense. When something appealed to Lysenko's intuition there was really no need for rigorous testing, consider for instance his citation "In order to obtain a certain result, you must want to obtain precisely that result; if you want to obtain a certain result you will obtain it". When he had achieved a powerful position in the soviet union Lysenko's intuition became so important that criticzing him was a

By Dennis Prager FrontPageMagazine.com | Article also available at Townhall.com under the title The Islamic threat is greater than German and Soviet threats were | March 2006 Only four types of individuals can deny the threat to civilization posed by the violence-supporting segment of Islam: the willfully naive, America-haters, Jew-haters and those afraid to confront evil. Anyone else sees the contemporary reality -- the genocidal Islamic regime in Sudan; the widespread Muslim theological and emotional support for the killing of a Muslim who converts to another religion; the absence of freedom in Muslim-majority countries; the widespread support for Palestinians who randomly murder Israelis; the primitive state in which women are kept in many Muslim countries; the celebration of death; the "honor killings" of daughters; and so much else that is terrible in significant parts of the Muslim world -- knows that civilized humanity has a new evil to fight. Just as previous generations ha