I define “ideology” as a belief system in which the believer holds that there is only One Right Way To Do Anything. Perhaps a better term would be “dogma”. Within such a belief system, all decision-making paths tend to be self-referential, i.e., not “what do the circumstances call for based on evidence?”, but “what does the doctrine say to do in these circumstances?”

You are correct in stating that most “progressives” are unfamiliar with the process of critical thought, and in fact deeply resent anyone saying that they should think before they act. Their self-image is that they are inherently “deep thinkers”, and therefore are also inherently capable of superior reasoning compared to the masses they so despise. Hence, they do not need to think, because since they’ve already “worked it out” in creating their belief system; all they need to do is follow the tenets of same. In this context, “thought” is almost heretical- it means you’re second-guessing the beliefs.

The parallel with some extreme religious beliefs (and I include some Christian ones, like “Creationism”, etc.) are obvious. In each case, you are dealing with a belief held on purely emotional grounds, often in defiance of facts, logic, and even common sense (the most misnamed attribute in human experience, as it is unfortunately not all that “common”).

The main reason I use “ideology” is that it’s the term “progressives” prefer, just as they now would rather be called “progressives” as opposed to “liberals”. They jettison names and terms as soon as they realize they have made them “a by-word and a hissing”, as E.E. “Doc” Smith would say. I do, however, find it fascinating that every now and then, one will slip and use the word “dogma” to describe their beliefs, as Biden did in the assault-weapon debate.

Because the “progressives’” favorite accusation against their opponents, in any debate, is that those opponents are “dogmatic”; as opposed to their own perfect, “forward-thinking”, “innovative”, “open-minded” selves.

clear ether

eon

At least Joe Biden has a command of both the English language and knows how to use a teleprompter. Probably knows how to spell potato too!
~

Let’s hope he knows how many states are in the US too unlike the Prez.

I was angry at Biden for being part of the Obamination Ilkinstration. Then the gaffes. And more stumbling and bumbling. And I realized Biden is actually a man apart. No one in Obama`s court really takes Biden seriously. What`s more, I believe he was purposefully chosen as a non-entity running mate who would not be so bold as to ever challenge Obama. Obama likes it that way. Nah, doubt Obama expected this many gaffes, tho. Not that he is one to talk. He still can`t figure out the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran`s Day, I will give him that much credit.But back to Biden. I think he has now realized that he may be vice-president but he is no playaa. And he is frustrated.So the gaffes tend to fly. I would feel a bit sorry for him but for the high office he occupies. Embarrassing for America. And back to your excerpt above. Please be careful about placing “ideological” and “stupid” in the same category because they don`t belong together necessarily nor most of the time. It is usually better to have an ideology rather than just run on raw emotion and feeling. Sure, I guess some folks have stupid ideologies but my point is that most liberals have NO ideology and cannot tell you WHY they think the way they do. They have NO ideology then. Now, the liberal elite do have an ideology and they know you won`t like it if they are found out. Notice how most liberals, even elites, have trouble just speaking in a direct fashion. Or like Obama they ta and ho ahh and hmmm. Reason is that they are lying and they know it. It is easier to tell the truth. Much smoother. It takes more energy to lie. Only a few reach the level of smooth lying. Take Hitler, for example. Or Jim Jones. I find that on balance there are more folks on the right who can speak smoothly and they are just normal folk like me (I would hope I am normal).It is easier to be a true conservative because most of the time you are just telling the truth. So I say to you that an ideology is usually a good thing to have. That is, a dogma. Without some idea/ology, how does one really function??