This book defines political ideology as a structural force that combines ideas, emotion, and people for the purpose of transforming political discourse. It advances a theoretical proposition concerning the creation of alternative modes of governance and proposes a general theory explains the reasons for the creation of political ideologies as an escape from perceived injustice. The theory also explains democracy's success and the failure of Communism and the Fascism. The purpose of any political ideology, whether Democracy, Fascism (and its varieties), or Communism, is to escape human suffering by combining ideas, emotion, and people in the production of fundamental societal change. Ideologies must possess these three variables to attain the necessary power to succeed as a political force. Power gives the ideology the structural ability to transform society, trapping the once free individual into the ideology.

Liberalism has been the leading political theory of the past three hundred years and, by far, the most dominant ideology. Many think tanks are associated with liberal ideas, and most Western countries are considered liberal democracies. But does liberalism really cover the wide range of political ideas found in Western civilization? Degrees of Freedom examines liberalism's universal claims and explains how liberal thinkers formulated insights that apply to all aspects of politics. It also contrasts liberalism and conservatism. Edwin van de Haar divides liberalism into three main variants: classical liberalism, social liberalism, and libertarianism. Without claiming that this is the only possible categorization of liberalism, he argues that this subdivision is the most comprehensible way out of liberal confusion. He explores how these forms of liberalism, found in popular parlance, relate to liberal political theory and ideology. Domestic politics and international relations are presented as a whole, in the firm belief that one cannot meaningfully present an overview of any tradition in political theory by stopping at national borders.

This book is a critique of political essentialism, the doctrine that states that there is a single nature and destiny for human kind and that an elite is indispensable for bringing this about through political action. A systematic value philosophy is contrasted with ideological politics which includes novel theories of justice, freedom, equality and their relation. This book argues against Marxist accounts of social changes, and that the cause of modern revolutions and their aftermath is ideology and not economic factors. Ideology is articulated by political intellectuals who direct political movements. It also argues against ideologically based political thought.

This book fills a significant gap in current process scholarship by providing a detailed exposition of Whitehead's and Hartshorne's social and political writings, reconstructing their ideological commitments in depth, and placing them in their historical context. It focuses on four areas of inquiry: the individual and society; the ideals of freedom, equality, and democracy; the use of coercive force within and between societies; and the theory of social progress. As each feature of their political though is examined, Morris shows how Whitehead's and Hartshorne's political commitments are reflected in their metaphysical principles.

A trenchant critique of established ideas in political philosophy and a provocative call for change Many contemporary political thinkers are gripped by the belief that their task is to develop an ideal theory of rights or justice for guiding and judging political actions. But in Philosophy and Real Politics, Raymond Geuss argues that philosophers should first try to understand why real political actors behave as they actually do. Far from being applied ethics, politics is a skill that allows people to survive and pursue their goals. To understand politics is to understand the powers, motives, and concepts that people have and that shape how they deal with the problems they face in their particular historical situations. Philosophy and Real Politics both outlines a historically oriented, realistic political philosophy and criticizes liberal political philosophies based on abstract conceptions of rights and justice.

Ideologies play a crucial role in the way we understand and shape the political world. But no one has yet satisfactorily explained the nature of ideologies themselves. In this important study, Michael Freeden offers a ground-breaking approach to the subject. Drawing on the political experience of Britain, France, Germany, and the USA over the past two centuries, the author provides an in-depth examination of the key political ideologies: liberalism, conservatism, socialism, feminism, and green political thought. He goes on to outline a powerful and sophisticated new theory of ideologies and argues that by paying special attention to the complexity, conceptual inter-relationship, and historical and contemporary context of ideologies we can both better understand them and reinvigorate the study of political theory. From reviews of the hardback: 'What is on offer here is both a highly original and profoundly stimulating analysis of ideological thinking. Freeden's book will undoubtedly shape and redefine the field of 'ideological studies' as it presently stands, initiating fruitful lines of research for many years to come. . . . There is much to admire in this book.' History of European Ideas 'The approach is immensely illuminating. . . . The outstanding merit of Freeden's work is that he has shown what political philosophy presently lacks, and has done so by demonstrating that ideologies should not be dismissed as merely the 'poor cousins' of philosophies. Both political theory and political philosophy have a great deal to learn from this book.' Radical Philosophy