++> Responding to Day Brown on the
 ++> "Ideology vs. Philosophy" controversy
 
 DB> Ideology has been used time and again to justify the use
 DB> of force; I have never seen philosophy used in that way.
 
 DB> Philosophy pretends that it is rational, based on some
 DB> kind of 'irrefutable' fundamentals.  If force were applied
 DB> in trying to support a philosophy, it would demonstrate
 DB> that rational logic was inadequate to the purpose, and it
 DB> would look like an oxymoron.
 
 DB> Ideology, by it's very application of force, demonstrates
 DB> that reason is inadequate to support it. David, can you
 DB> think of an ideology that does not employ the inculcation
 DB> by force of the young to it's point of view? The fact
 DB> that the force employed may be by the parents does not
 DB> change the fact that it is force.
 
     The problem was not one of philosophy (which I've learned to
     bend with, in its not being what I was brought up to understand
     it to be), it was more a confusion of what "ideology" actually
     means. To portray it in a negative sense, as many recent postings
     have done, created a tension with the more simple dictionary
     definition that does not portray the term as destructive to
     philosophy or anything else or any use of "force". The far more
     extended definition as introduced to me by Frank and accepted
     across much of the intellectual world, tweaked me as an unneeded
     conflict. I have retired my effort to anchor the term to the
     dictionary and would now understand it as actually meant. A tiny
     ring remains buzzing as to why the publishers of the dictionary
     do not bring their definition into line with the more common
     negative implication of the word. I deem it strange that modern
     dictionary publishers would retain conflict as policy .... even
     as the Webster version of "Liberal" and Conservative" seem little
     related to the John Boone view of the terms. I could but wonder
     how many other of the definitions are also bent away from common
     usage.  In any case, I accept Frank's illumination of the word's
     range and to appreciate its understood usage in context.
 
                          @@"   ...   Dave
 
     P.S.  My computer synonym check actually has "philosophy" and
           "ideology" equivalent to each other (interchangeable)!
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