Contemporary Political Ideologies

The opening chapter of this study argues the case for understanding political ideologies as bodies of thought relating to issues such as human nature (are we inherently good or evil?) and socio-economic organization (does the state enslave or protect us?). Ten core chapters follow, defining the "isms" which have shaped the modern world. They explore such questions as: has socialism suffered from brain death, or is a new "Third Way" (between communism and capitalism) emergin?; is nationalism essentially a dangerous mythology, or can it take intellectually defensible forms?; should we - as radical ecologists proclaim - think globally and act locally?; is Islamic Fundamentalism a fanatical and menacing creed, or has it been misunderstood in the West? The concluding chapter raises - and emphatically denies - the question of whether we are witnessing the "end of ideology".