ideology
1. Antoine Doustet de Tracy (1754-1836)
- First appearance of the word (ca. 1796)
- Tracy was the first to systematically use the term "ideology (idéologie)" during the French Revolution.
- Book "Éléments d'idéologie" (published 1801-1815)
- He positioned ideology as "the science of ideas," and treated it as a discipline that systematically analyzes human thoughts and ideas.
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2. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)
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- Ideologue criticism (ca. early 1800s).
- Napoleon criticized the arguments of "idéologues" such as Tracy, whom he derided as "empty theories" and idealism without practical application.
- Later, "ideology" would take on a negative nuance, referring to idealism or biased thought, in the wake of this derisive use by Napoleon.
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3. Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
- "German Ideology" (originally written 1845-46, first published 1932).
- Marx and Engels positioned "ideology" as a system of ideas conveniently created for the ruling class of society and saw material production and class structure as defining consciousness.
- quote from "German Ideology"
"The dominant ideology of the ruling class is the dominant ideology of its time."
- (Original: Die Ideen der herrschenden Klasse sind in jeder Epoche die herrschenden Ideen.)
- This is a straightforward illustration of the assertion that groups with economic and social dominance shape the leading thoughts and values in their society.
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- Summary
- Tracy defines ideology positively and academically as "the science of ideas".
- Napoleon's ridicule reinforces the image of "biased theory and vacuous argument".
- Marx and Engels theorized "ideology" as an ideological device of the ruling class and established it as a concept of social criticism.
In modern times, it has come to mean "a belief system that directs the behavior of people and organizations across a wide range of political, social, and economic fields," and is used in both positive and negative contexts.
A.L.C. Destutt de Tracy (A.L.C. Destutt de Tracy)
When d'Estute de Tracy supported the laissez-faire doctrine, it offended Napoleon Bonaparte, who, banned from printing Commentaires in 1806, had no choice but to appeal to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson and ask for an English edition. Thomas Jefferson]) and had no choice but to appeal to him and ask him to publish an English edition. It was not until 1819 that it was finally published in France. Jefferson also personally supervised the English translation of Tracy's major economic treatise Traité de la volonté (Eléments, vol. 4), Treatise on Political Economy (1818). This was republished in France in 1823 as Trait d'économie politique. Though it was Tracy who first used the term "ideology," he used it to refer to "the science of concepts" in the sensationalist sense. It was Napoleon and later Marx and Engels who gave the term a negative connotation. - Kosei Yamagata Translation
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