Three Ways to not become an Ideologue
Let’s face it: we’re all ideologues to varying degrees. We all rely on heuristics, mental models, and narrative structures to make sense of the complex world we live in. Even if our ideologies aren’t explicit, we still hold implicit assumptions about the world — about human nature, morality, notions of an ideal society, and so forth. Our perception of the world will always be ideologically tinted, whether we admit it or not.
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” — Abraham Maslow
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I add an extra line to the old saying: “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, but if you don’t have a hammer, you might miss the nail.” Ideology can blind, but it can also enable sight. It allows us to see certain aspects of the world that we wouldn’t have seen “naturally.” In this way ideology is an invaluable tool, allowing us to step out of our native perceptions to see the world in a new light.
So how do we know if our ideological orientations are problematic? After all, “ideologue” is a derisive term, connoting rigid and dogmatic adherence to a belief or perspective. To ensure we aren’t falling prey to these vices, I use three “D’s” to assess my degree of ideological entrenchment: depth, distance, and diversity.
