ABSTRACT
Idéologie has generated a very large literature, much of it devoted to determining the extent to which ideological thought and practices were ‘revolutionary’. Moravia (1974) argued that idéologie represents the last gasp of the Enlightenment, and Gusdorf (1978) appealed to its status as the ‘revolutionary conscience’. Baker (1990) emphasised the continuity that links the techniques of protest of the ancien régime with the political theory of the Revolution. Staum (1996:5) argued that a balanced view would have to link Enlightenment discourse and the cultural practices of the ancien régime with the revolutionary context. Picavet (1891) is a classic analysis of idéologie, which has in recent years been supplemented by a number of excellent general studies including Head (1985), Kaiser (1976), Welch (1984) and Azouvi (1992; 1995). Particular philosophers have occasioned detailed studies by others, and institutions such as the Institut National have been examined by J.Simon (1885) and Staum (1996) and La Décade has been examined by Kitchin (1966) and Régaldo (1976). All of these contributions share one fundamental problem that they solve in various ways: they must determine whom to include under the label idéologue. Any movement of significance has both an identifiable intellectual content
and a framework of formal and informal institutions, which give it structure and coherence. In the case of idéologie, four of these institutions are worth examining in some detail. First, idéologie took shape in the salon culture; its social organisation was perpetuated by the salons hosted by Mme Helvétius, Cabanis and later Destutt de Tracy. Second, idéologie was codified and institutionalised in the academic culture provided by the Institut National. Third, idéologie was founded upon the idea that social harmony and order would ensue to the extent that enlightenment was widely dispersed, especially among ‘la classe mitoyenne’ of the population. La Décade philosophique attempted to serve a role of public education at the same time that it provided a forum for communication and for debate among idéologues. Fourth, the central goal of idéologie was to promote harmony and social order, and to that end idéologues had a political context and role. Jean-Baptiste Say can be identified with all four of these institutions.
