Ideology and Argument : Studies in British, Finnish and Hungarian Thought
80: Finnish Literature Society, 2006. 1st Edition. Soft Cover. Text in English. 327 pp.
The studies in the history of ideas in this book deal with select political ideologies in Britain, Hungary and Finland, The pivotal issues the author tackles are: how ideologies worked in different political cultures and how ideologues formulated them in search for rationale to their quest for power? One general observation emerges: ideologies were nuanced according to the context of their conception and reception but remained fundamentally uniform in one important respect: the ideologues purported to make their reform programmes persuasive by appealing to the latest discoveries of science, however inapplicable in politics they may have been.
As the science of politics itself was in its beginnings, models for explanation of social and political change were sought in natural sciences. Theories of, for instance, biological evolution and physical power inspired intellectuals, professionals and politicians to invent their own politicized concepts with popular meanings and connotations intelligible to reading public. Ideologies waged rhetoric wars against each other, not only over supporters but primarily over moral high-ground and political credibitity. Their advocates assumed the role of a 'public moralist' as they extolled the civilized human character and castigated the uncivilized. As Halmesvirta argues, this did not apply only to ideologues proper but also to diplomats and writers usually less vulnerable to ideological contamination. By reading texts as ideological constructs he reminds us of the controversial heritage of political thought over the last 150 years. Fine. Item #4295
ISBN: 9517468059
Price: $60.00