ABSTRACT

There is a more promising avenue and that is to settle on a conception of ideology not by stipulation, or historical usage, but rather from what it is we might be trying to explain or understand through its usage. Caution is required here not least because within both of these categories there is considerable internal differentiation, and an argument in support of one version of the restrictive or inclusive conception would not necessarily favour another version in the same category. Restrictive conceptions of ideology in the contemporary literature take a number of forms, each seeking to focus on what is seen as a particular problematic social phenomenon. The ultimate problem with this way of thinking about ideology, for Rosen, lies in its causal account of false consciousness, which contains an implicit and unargued-for functionalism. Inevitably, arguments from those who support a restrictive conception of ideology against more inclusive conceptions will tend to mirror the arguments for the inclusive conception.