Ideological Fixation – Azar Gat

The neo-Marxists of the New Left in the 1950s and 1960s claimed that it applied more.42 There is, however, a very marked conceptual—and practical—difference between liberalism and the authoritarian-totalitarian ideologies in terms of their pluralism, toleration of diverse opinions, and ruthlessness of suppression of divergent views. That said, a tension within liberalism between toleration as a constitutive element of the creed and commitment not only to oppose intolerance, but also to advance liberal values, norms, and institutions against those of other creeds, is as old as the Enlightenment. This commitment has always involved a measure of intolerance and sometimes also dogmatic and messianic zeal.

The classical, moderate nineteenth-century British liberal brand supposedly relied on rational, “common sense” arguments to convince and convert, without being less committed and passionate on that account. It has largely given way to more zealous and sometimes fanciful varieties, as liberalism has split, remixed, and been further energized within a larger number of ideological currents from the twentieth century on. OceanofPDF.com This part addresses some major ideological premises and fixations that have dominated the public and political discourse in the economically most developed countries of the world (currently, say, above $20,000 GDP per capita from non-oil resources) since 1945.

Presently, all these countries are liberal democracies. The great majority are Western in terms of their cultural heritage, while a few are largely “Westernized”, in the sense that during the process of their modernization they adopted a great deal of the political institutions and normative codes originating in the West. By this I do not imply that the ideological views and debates that have taken center stage in the developed world are the only ones that matter in today’s world.

Far from it. As noted in the previous chapter, it remains to be seen whether the right-wing authoritarian/semi-totalitarian regimes that have resurfaced in some of the world’s major developing countries will survive as these countries achieve higher levels of economic development. This may be the most crucial political question of the twenty-first century, suggesting a strong potential for a global ideological conflict not seen since the demise of communist totalitarianism.

In addition, militant fundamentalist currents within Islam have been engaging in a stark, sometimes violent, conflict with Western liberalism.

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © Oxford University Press 2022 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization.

Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Gat, Azar, author. Title: Ideological fixation : from the Stone Age to today’s culture wars /Azar Gat. Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022010848 (print) | LCCN 2022010849 (ebook) | ISBN 9780197646700 (hardback) | ISBN 9780197646724 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Ideology—History. Classification: LCC B823.3 .G38 2022 (print) | LCC B823.3 (ebook) | DDC 145—dc23/eng/20220610 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022010848 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022010849 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197646700.001.0001 OceanofPDF.com CONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments PART I.

GROUNDWORK 1. What Is True? (Though Never the Whole Truth) 2. What Is Right? How Morality Should Be Conceived PART II. THE CLASSICAL IDEOLOGIES 3. Religious Ideological Fixation: Examined by a Non-Hostile Atheist 4. The Major Contenders of Modernity: Liberalism, Socialism, Fascism PART III. CURRENT DEBATES AND FIXATIONS IN THE DEMOCRACIES 5. The West’s Guilt toward the “Rest” 6. Nature or Nurture?

Nations and Nationhood 7. Nature or Nurture? Gender and Sexual Behavior 8. Can Anything Be Done? Some Very Tentative Reflections on Current Ideological Battlefields 9. Conclusion: Ideological Fixation—Now and Ever Notes Index OceanofPDF.com PREFACE I began writing this book before the 2016 US presidential elections, before the terms “fake news” and “alternative facts” were coined, and before the further, ever-continuing escalation of America’s ideological civil war.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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