ABSTRACT
An important part of the analysis of political systems is an examination of ideologies or belief patterns that condition their operation. In addition to influencing the goals that will be pursued, ideologies have an important effect on the style of political life. Hence, a concern with diverse patterns of ideological belief has become a central aspect of contemporary political science. This chapter examines and evaluates the hypothesis of ideological decline and, in particular, the arguments of its critics. The principal finding is that the criticisms launched against the decline thesis are based on dubious grounds and stem from serious misunderstandings. The most alarming attribute of the antidecline writers is their apparent willingness to disregard the empirical significance of the hypothesis in question and to rely, instead, on semantic justification. The chapter shows that the relevance of the hypothesis of decline is an empirical proposition as yet beyond the challenge of its critics.
