Ideology is a comprehensive set of beliefs, values, and principles that shape an individual's or a

group's worldview and guide their thoughts, actions, and goals. It provides a framework for
understanding society, politics, and human behavior, and often serves as a basis for political,
social, and economic systems. Ideologies offer a vision of how society should be organized, what
values are important, and how power should be distributed.

The history of ideology can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where philosophical and
religious ideas played a significant role in shaping societies. However, the term "ideology" itself
emerged during the Enlightenment in the 18th century, as thinkers began to develop systematic
frameworks to understand and critique existing social and political orders.

One of the earliest and influential ideological movements was liberalism. Emerging in the late
18th century, liberalism emphasized individual rights, limited government intervention, free
markets, and the rule of law. Liberal ideas, championed by thinkers such as John Locke and
Adam Smith, gained prominence during the Industrial Revolution and influenced the
establishment of constitutional democracies and capitalist economies in many countries.

It is important to note that ideologies are dynamic and evolve over time. They interact with each
other, respond to changing social, economic, and political circumstances, and are subject to
interpretation and reinterpretation by individuals and groups. Ideologies play a significant role in
shaping societies, influencing policy decisions, and providing a sense of identity and belonging
for individuals and communities.

The term "ideology" was coined by Antoine-Louis-Claude Destutt de Tracy, a French

philosopher and politician, in the late 18th century. Destutt de Tracy developed the term as part
of his philosophical system known as "ideology."

Destutt de Tracy's concept of ideology aimed to provide a rational framework for analyzing and
evaluating the beliefs, values, and principles that underpin human thought and action. He
believed that by examining ideas critically, individuals and societies could make informed
decisions and avoid errors in reasoning.

Although Destutt de Tracy introduced the term, it is important to note that the meaning and usage
of "ideology" have evolved and expanded significantly since his time. Different scholars and
thinkers have interpreted and applied the term in various ways, leading to a diverse range of
ideological frameworks and perspectives.

Scholars often think of political ideologies as existing on a spectrum, with liberalism and
conservatism occupying opposite ends. However, it's important to note that this spectrum can be
different depending on the context and the country. For example, in some European countries,
social democracy occupies the center, while in the United States, it is often viewed as a more
left-leaning ideology.

Conservatism and Liberalism are two types of schools of thought that showed tremendous
difference between them. Liberalism believes in the significance of liberty and equal rights. On
the other hand, conservatism tries to promote the maintenance of traditional matters. In other
words, it aims at conservation of tradition. This is the main difference between the two schools
of thought. Based on these main differences, conservatism and liberalism has many more
different characteristics. Edmund Burke is known as the father of conservatism. Meanwhile, John
Locke is considered as the first person to develop a liberal philosophy.

Let us see some more information about these two ideologies.

What is Conservatism?

Conservatism aims at the preservation of things as they are and thus, they are not for any kind of
change when it comes to the functioning of things. Conservatism is looked upon as an attitude. It
was not looked upon as a philosophy. It was regarded as a constant force that helped in the
development of the society. Conservatism is looked upon as ideology by some of the thinkers of
the past.

Conservatism nowadays expects the government to function as a small-scale institution allowing

more of individual responsibility for everyone. Rather than expecting the government to solve
every problem, conservatism believes that every individual should take more responsibility in
solving problems.

Some examples of the traditional views of conservatism are here. For example, conservatism
believes that abortion is not acceptable. It upholds the traditional value that a baby conceived is
equal to an already functioning and living human being. Also, conservatism does not agree
with euthanasia. Conservatism refuses to believe that letting a terminally ill person commit
suicide is ethical. When it comes to death penalty, people who hold conservative ideas believe
that it is the rightful punishment for the crime of killing another person. This is going with the
traditional belief that the punishment should fit the crime.

What is Liberalism?

Liberalism believes in liberty and equality. It believes that there should be minimum or no
government interventions in political institutions or religions as these are supposed to be areas
where anyone can be involved freely. Also, liberalism expects the government to ensure that
people have their equal rights.

It should be said that liberalism connects various intellectual trends and schools. It is important
to know that two kinds of liberalism became known world-wide. Classical liberalism became
known widely in the eighteenth century, whereas social liberalism became hugely popular in the
twentieth century. On the other hand, liberal philosophy was used in American Revolution and
the French Revolution. It only means that liberalism was looked upon as a philosophy.

The primary concern of liberalism is to develop the world free from government intervention or,
if it is not possible totally, then it would aim at the lessening of government intervention.
Liberalism firmly believed that governments were stumbling blocks to individual success and
hence they wanted the governments to stay out of individual lives. Moreover, liberalism supports
fundamental ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, human rights and freedom of
religion.

Some examples for liberalism are here. For example, liberalism believes that abortion is
acceptable. It upholds that a woman has the right to do what she decides with her body and a
fetus is not a living human being. Also, liberalism agrees with euthanasia. Liberalism believes
that even a terminally ill person has a right to die with dignity if he or she wants to. See, this is
liberty and freedom in doing what one wants. When it comes to death penalty, people who hold
liberalistic ideas believe that the death penalty is not the rightful punishment for the crime of
killing another person. Liberalism believes each death penalty has a chance of killing an innocent
person.
What is the difference between Conservatism and Liberalism?

Beliefs of Conservatism and Liberalism:

• Conservatism believes in preserving the traditional values. They oppose changes that can
disrupt the way things are now.

• Liberalism believes in liberty and equality. They believe everyone should have the right to live
freely, and the government should make sure that equal rights are given to everyone.

Government:

• Conservatism likes government intervention, but it expects the government to be small in scale
so that there is more individual responsibility for citizens.

• Liberalism does not like government intervention. However, it expects the government to make
sure the rights of people are protected.

The following is how Some other scholars compare these ideologies:

Conservative versus Liberal comparison chart

Conservative Liberal

Political Views

Prefer smaller government, less regulation, most Prefer more regulation and services like free
services to be provided by the private sector in a universal health care to be provided by the
free market, and a literal interpretation of the government to all citizens.
Constitution.

Economic Views

Government should tax less and spend less. Government should provide more services to the
Cutting spending to balance the budget should be less fortunate (like health care) and increase taxes
the priority. Higher income earners should have an if necessary. High-income earners should pay a
 incentive to invest (credits). Charity is the larger percentage of their income as taxes.
responsibility of the people.

Social Views

Opposed to gay marriage, abortion and embryonic Gay couples to get equal rights like everyone else
stem cell research. Support the right to own arms, (e.g., marriage); abortion should be legal; support
death penalty, and personal responsibility as an embryonic stem cell research. Support restrictions
individual. and regulation around the right to own arms.

Personal Responsibility

Individuals should exercise personal responsibility
and it is the governments’ role to hold them
accountable even with severe penalties. Laws are
enacted to reflect the best interest of the society as
a whole.
The people should look to the government to
provide a structure. Laws are enacted to protect
every individual for an equal society sometimes
at the expense of economic freedom if necessary.

Scholars often analyze political ideologies on a spectrum or scale. The most used scale is the left-
right political spectrum, where liberals are positioned on the left side and conservatives on the
right. This spectrum suggests that liberals generally support progressive and egalitarian policies,
while conservatives favor traditional and conservative approaches. However, it's important to
note that this spectrum oversimplifies the complexity of political ideologies and may not capture
the full range of perspectives and beliefs held by individuals or groups.

When it comes to the general public, there can be a wide range of ideological thinking. While
some individuals may hold clear and consistent ideological beliefs, many people may have a mix
of liberal and conservative views on different issues or may not strongly identify with either
ideology. Public opinion surveys often show that people's political attitudes can be fluid and
influenced by various factors such as personal experiences, media, and societal changes.

It's worth mentioning that ideologies and their interpretations can evolve over time, and there can
be significant variations within and across countries. Therefore, it is important to approach the
understanding of ideologies with a recognition of their dynamic nature and the complexities
involved in defining and categorizing them.