Critique Of The End Of Ideology

The End of Ideology is a western theoretical trend emerged in the 1950 s.This theoretical trend of thought declares “the end of ideology”,and believes that the era of ideology has been over.The ideology in the total sense,the radical revolution as the way of social transformation and the whole Marxism has come to an end.The End of Ideology is the reflection of the ideas of western bourgeois intellectuals in the context of the confrontation between the socialist camp and the capitalist camp.It is the ideology expression of the bourgeoisie during the Cold War.Its falsehood and one-sidedness of the theory are clear.Although,as a theoretical trend of thought,the End of Ideology has passed today,there are still variants and remnants of this trend of thought appeared in one form or another,questioning the guiding nature of Marxist theory,and attacking socialist ideology.Therefore,recognizing its nature and criticizing of the end of ideology is still extremely important theoretical subject.On the basis of sorting out the realistic background and theoretical origin,this paper reveals the theoretical content and internal paradox of the End of Ideology.This paper analyzes and demonstrates from the following three aspects:The first part sorts out and analyzes the rise of the End of Ideology,the realistic back ground,and theoretical origin.The End of Ideology is a theoretical trend that emerged in western society in the 1950 s.Since Hills proposed “the end of ideological passion “at the 1955 Milan meeting,the debate over whether “ideology is over” has become increasingly fierce.Raymond Aron,Lipset,Daniel Bell,etc.all wrote articles to explain their approval of this proposition,forming a faction of the “end of ideology”.Deeply influenced by “Western Centralism”,“Liberalism”,and “Scientism”,the End of Ideology has a special realistic background in the Cold War era.It has become a slogan and theoretical tool for some western right-wing intellectuals to deny Marxism and Socialism.The second part analyzes the theoretical content of the End of Ideology in detail.This part reveals the essence of the End of Ideology on the basis of analyzing the understanding of the ideology's concept and the dispelling of the revolutionary concept.The End of Ideology restricts ideology's concept to general political concepts and positive political ideals against Marxism and Socialism directly to pursue “realistic liberation”,denying the radical revolutionary prospect of Marxism's “human liberation”.In this sense,the theoretical essence of the End of Ideology is the end of a total,positive political ideal,the end of a passionate revolutionary theory,and the end of Marxism.The third part deeply reveals the inner paradox of the End of Ideology from three aspects: whether ideology ends,whether the value is neutral and whether Marxism ends.The End of Ideology expresses that ideology ends,declaring that its theory which is objective is free from ideological interference.But it still cannot escape from the dilemma of self-reference,and avoid the ideological nature.Influenced by western Scientism and Pragmatism,adhere to the position of the value neutrality,the End of Ideology tries to exclude the ideological influence and value judgment in social science research,but it still manifests its class attitude and value inclination everywhere.Pursuing the value neutrality,the End of Ideology defends and cheers for the freedom and democracy of capitalism.It advocates the end of Marxism and believes that the social revolution envisioned by Marxism has not been realized.Such spiritual appeal of the promise of the future has disappeared,so Marxism has lost its significance.Meanwhile,the End of Ideology confirms the great influence of Marxism actually,inspired and influenced by Marxism in many aspects.Even opposing Marxism,it also refers the Marxist theory and method.Analyzing the End of Ideology,especially its inner paradox,we have a deeper understanding of it.The End of Ideology is false and self-contradictory in theory with its real theoretical purpose attacking Marxism and Socialism.That expresses the ideology of western capitalist countries during the Cold War.The current social and historical reality of the world has proved that the ideological argument has not ended,but continued more extensively.Marxism doesn't end.The world history is still under the critical horizon of Marxism.As the ideological weapon,Marxism can be used to reflect and criticize various social trends,explore and solve the important problems of human society's development.