ABSTRACT
The responsible ideology is one in which a serious and continuing effort is made to elucidate publicly all of the factors involved in its formulation and in which a similar effort is made to test the position at strategic points by all available means. The responsibly formulated ideology, in short, unites the analytical precision of a Robert Dahl, the self-awareness of a Karl Mannheim, and the commitment to social relevance of a C. Wright Mills. No scholar can achieve a full measure of excellence in each of these ways, but perhaps the composite picture can provide an ideal standard against which to evaluate one's intellectual strengths and weaknesses. In relations between opponents, mutual recognition of the uncertain foundations of contested beliefs tends to convert the doctrinal clash into the controlled debate. The debaters might remain sharply divided, but the intellectual confrontation becomes more thoughtful and perhaps more constrained.
