Which One Are You: Ideologue or Pragmatist?|5 Minute Video
When it concerns politics, do you have an ideology? Or are you a pragmatist? What’s the distinction? Is one much better than the other? Jonah Goldberg, Senior Editor for National Review, discusses why ideology matters, and why “pragmatism” might not show precisely what you believe it does.
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Script:
One of the staple arguments of American liberals, from Presidents Woodrow Wilson to Bill Clinton, from education reformer John Dewey to New York Times columnist Tom Friedman is that they “do not believe in labels.” Liberals are “pragmatists,” and “realists,” and “empiricists.” They only value “what works.” Conservatives, on the other hand, are “ideologues”– or extremists, or dogmatists, or just plain lunatics– who are blinded by ideology.
Here’s what President Barack Obama mentioned on the topic: “What is required is a new statement, not just in our nation, nevertheless in our own lives from ideology and little thinking, prejudice and bigotry.”
Did you record that? If you have an ideology, you belong among the bigots and the psychologically baffled.
When you begin paying attention, you’ll hear variations on this claim all over the area. In truth, it is an older method, stemmed by none besides Napoleon Bonaparte, who tried to find to demonize his critics as mesmerized theorists enthralled to an ideology while he put the requirements of the country above all factors to consider.
Marx got the method, arguing that only people who accepted him were without mind-warping ideology. The desirability and inevitability of socialism was to them a scientific reality, and because of that anybody who disagrees with scientific fact must be, in result, persuaded.
In the 20th Century, the American Progressives utilized their own version of the specific same principle. They produced an entire philosophical school– Pragmatism– which as a matter of principle decreased philosophical concepts.
Herbert Croly, the developer of the New Republic, responding to the criticism that his liberal publication was too pro-Mussolini– whose concepts appeared to be working in Italy at the time– mentioned it well: “If there are any abstract liberal ideas, we do not comprehend how to develop them. Nor if they are created by others do we acknowledge their authority. Liberalism, as we comprehend it, is an activity.”
It specifies it knows “what works”– liberalism! What liberals do!– and they denigrate opposing viewpoints not as contending positions or ideas, however as the items of a deformed, “ideological” worldview.
How frequently do you hear people state, “I do not think in labels?” Whether its liberal political leaders, television news anchors, writers, cable television news hosts or your brother-in-law, Harry, the line constantly goes something like this: “Why can’t we move beyond these partisan labels? Why can’t we get beyond this philosophical divide and get to the effort of dealing with the concerns dealing with the American people?”
Caution: People just they state these things when they prefer you to stop talking and get with their program.
What you never ever hear them state is: “We require to move beyond these partisan labels, we require to get beyond the philosophical divide and due to the fact that of that I’m going to desert all of my concepts and accept you.”
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When it pertains to politics, do you have an ideology? Jonah Goldberg, Senior Editor for National Review, explains why ideology matters, and why “pragmatism” may not suggest precisely what you believe it does.
Conservatives, on the other hand, are “ideologues”– or extremists, or dogmatists, or just plain lunatics– who are blinded by ideology.
Herbert Croly, the creator of the New Republic, reacting to the criticism that his liberal publication was too pro-Mussolini– whose principles appeared to be operating in Italy at the time– mentioned it well: “If there are any abstract liberal concepts, we do not understand how to establish them. Why can’t we get beyond this philosophical divide and get to the effort of handling the issues dealing with the American people?”
When it comes to politics, do you have an ideology? Jonah Goldberg, Senior Editor for National Review, explains why ideology matters, and why “pragmatism” might not show exactly what you believe it does.
Conservatives, meanwhile, are “ideologues”– or extremists, or dogmatists, or just plain lunatics– who are blinded by ideology.
Herbert Croly, the developer of the New Republic, reacting to the criticism that his liberal publication was too pro-Mussolini– whose ideas appeared to be working in Italy at the time– stated it well: “If there are any abstract liberal ideas, we do not comprehend how to formulate them. Why can’t we get beyond this philosophical divide and get to the effort of dealing with the problems dealing with the American people?”
