An ideology is a set of beliefs or ideas which determines an individual’s worldview and colors perception, acting as a framework within which all other opinions are molded to fit in. One such ideology in the political sphere is that of liberalism, whose main principles are freedom of speech and action, strict adherence to constitutional codes and a firm belief in equality of all citizens before the law and the state.
In recent times, the concepts of liberalism and democracy are often confused with each other and many of the principles of one are mistaken for ideals of the other. For some, the two represent one and the same thing with the notions of universal suffrage, freedom and equality. While historically developed separately, liberalism has diffused through and established itself firmly as a prerequisite ideology for the functioning of a democracy and this has permeated popular discourse to such an extent that this is the version of democracy in place in many of the developed countries and aspired to in much of the Third World.
In recent times, the concepts of liberalism and democracy are often confused with each other and many of the principles of one are mistaken for ideals of the other. For some, the two represent one and the same thing with the notions of universal suffrage, freedom and equality. While historically developed separately, liberalism has diffused through and established itself firmly as a prerequisite ideology for the functioning of a democracy and this has permeated popular discourse to such an extent that this is the version of democracy in place in many of the developed countries and aspired to in much of the Third World.
No comments:
Post a Comment