The 4 types of ideology that exist, and the values they defend.

Each person's political stance can be interpreted according to his or her proximity to these ideas.

The types of ideology that predominate today explain a large part of how we explain a large part of how we behave collectively. Although it may not seem so, in our ways of thinking there are always beliefs and perspectives that we have inherited from previous generations and that determine a good part of our actions. Free thinkers simply do not exist.

In this article we will see what are the main types of ideology and on what ideas and beliefs they are based.

The 6 types of ideology

The ideology is a system of beliefs, ideas and feelings that guide our thinking when interpreting what the world is like. at the time of interpreting how the world is and the social phenomena that take place in this one. Thus, they are cognitive schemes on which we rely to think.

We will now review these types of ideology, but first we must be clear that they are current today, that they have not always existed and that in the future they will mutate or even disappear to give way to others.

1. Religious conservatism and extreme right-wing ideologies

Religious conservatism is characterized by making the religious beliefs of a religious group to which one belongs set the political agenda, usually oriented to make the symbols, rituals and beliefs associated with that religion prevail.

This means that in this ideology the content of sacred texts is of great importance, and that they are sought in them for theThis means that in this ideology the content of sacred texts is of great importance, and that the answers to most of life's questions are sought in them, regardless of what reality shows us through experience.

It is common for this ideology to use terms such as "sacrilegious" or "unnatural" to define activities or habits that are considered to go against faith, which by definition is not questioned: in fact, blind belief is rewarded without asking for the necessary evidence to see if what is predicted is fulfilled.

On the other hand, an extreme right-wing ideology is one in which it is about repress individuals and collectives for not fitting in with ideas linked to "essences".. These essences can be referred to the country and the nation, on the one hand, attributing to a territory some customs, symbols and rituals, as well as frequently a religion, language and race, as well as to the human condition, also pointing out a series of supposedly "unnatural" behaviors.

Thus, both conservatism and its more radical, extreme right-wing versions are characterized by essentialism. are characterized by essentialism and the identification of political and social objectives with ideas about how society should be correct according to arbitrary parameters based on the supernatural.

2. Liberalism

Liberalism is a type of ideology based on individualism, i.e., attention to one's own needs. On the other hand, the analyses of society, economics and politics that are made from this position also give priority to one's own subjectivity and freedom of choice. and freedom of choicewhich is given more importance than economic equality.

The concept of private property is of great importance in liberalism, since it is seen practically as an extension of the self. This is why they defend the need to be able to do practically whatever one wants with private property, as well as with one's own body, without being accountable to anyone, as long as this does not directly harm other individuals.

On the other hand, from liberalism certain initiatives are defended on the basis of the goals they represent and the analysis of whether they are legitimate or not, which is why it is considered an idealistic ideology.

3. Socialism

Socialism is fundamentally one of the types of collectivist ideology that, unlike religious conservatism (also collectivist), is secular. That is to say, it dissociates itself from any religion and rejects any initiative that has to do with regulating political and social life based on beliefs in the divine.

On the other hand, socialism clearly differs from liberalism in two fundamental aspects. The first, as we have already seen, is that it liberalism is individualistic, while socialism is collectivist, which means that it attaches great importance to social phenomena.This means that it attaches great importance to social phenomena, which cannot be explained by focusing only on the actions and preferences of individuals, as if they were isolated from each other.

The second difference is that while liberalism is idealistic, socialism is materialistic; not in a moral sense (socialism rejects consumerism) but in a philosophical sense: it is not ideas that matter, but facts and their effects in the world.. For example, from this ideology it is considered that the idea of freedom means nothing if that freedom is given to people who, because of their poverty, are forced to choose only between precarious jobs in which they will be exploited.

Moreover, since socialism has a historical perspective historical perspective by going beyond the individual, it is considered that the idea of freedom means nothing if this freedom is given to people who, because of their povertyIn this type of ideology, they point out several problems inherited from generation to generation, most of which have to do with the concentration of capital in a few hands and with the subjugation of women to men that has historically existed and clearly continues to exist in many countries even today.

On the other hand, within this type of ideology there are two distinct variants: anarchism and communism.

3.1. Anarchism

Anarchism is a type of ideology based on socialism that defends the need to collectivize goods, that is to say, to make resources exist in the hands of a minority. On the other hand, it should be noted that there are different types of anarchism (or libertarianism) and not all propose the same strategies to achieve it.

3.2. Communism

Communists, whose ideology has been strongly influenced by the ideas of philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, are committed to a planned economy and the use of the state to end various forms of elite domination.

However, the ideological conceptions of socialism and communism should not be confused with socialism and communism understood as historical contexts, parts of a political project. You can learn more about this in this article: "The 5 differences between socialism and communism".

4. Social democracy

Social democrats adopt elements of both liberals and socialists. On the one hand, they do not simply focus on the individualistic analysis of reality. On the other hand, they renounce the idea of eliminating problems of inequality and domination through the elimination of private property over the means of production (i.e., technological or natural resources that create wealth if others work on them: factories, fields...). Instead, they try to seek an equilibrium based on the redistribution of wealth..

Bibliographical references:

• Lukács, Georg (1919-23) History and Class Consciousness.
• Steger, Manfred B.; James, Paul (2013). "Levels of Subjective Globalization: Ideologies, Imaginaries, Ontologies". Perspectives on Global Development and Technology.
• Zizek, Slavoj (1989) The Sublime Object of Ideology Verso.