Abstract

The analysis of the various meanings being the purpose of this research, no particular use of "ideology" is defended or endorsed. ;The chapter titles are self-explanatory and summarize the results of the research undertaken. They reflect my taxanomic division of the major uses of the word: Marx: Ideology as False Consciousness; Mannheim: Ideology as Justification of the status quo; Conservative and Liberal Social Scientists and Social Theorists: Ideology as Leftism; Critical Theorists and Marxist Social Scientists and Theorists: Non-Marxism as Ideology; and Althusser: Non-Marxism as Ideology. ;Although it has become a central concept in social theory, "ideology" does not have a clearly defined meaning. The term has undergone a multidirectional semanic evolution generating a spectrum of meanings which runs from vagueness to contradiction, thus complicating and confusing the dialogue between the users of the term. ;This dissertation attempts a clarification of the concept by trying first to identify the meaning ascribed to it by the major authors who have used the term and who belong to very diverse schools of thought. Since, so far, a critical and comparative synopsis of the various uses, especially one that includes the major authors outside the Anglo-American tradition, has not existed, a critical analysis of the various uses of the word is of fundamental importance if we are to continue using the word in social science theory and research. And it is here that philosophy as language analysis can become a valuable tool in helping to clarify terminological confusions and logical inconsistencies