The Essence of Ideology: A Historical and Psychological Analysis

Abstract

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the essence of ideology by examining its historical formation and its relationship to the human psyche. The argument posits that ideologies are a part of the noosphere and are fundamentally products of a human psychological activity, a state of psycho-physiological readiness for action. Using Dimitri Uznadze's theory of set, the article traces the emergence of ideologies from the Enlightenment as a response to specific historical and social conditions. It argues that because ideologies are built upon a worldview derived from an incomplete scale of knowledge, they are inherently limited and ultimately fail to provide a complete picture of reality. The article concludes that the modern crisis of ideological fragmentation, exemplified by postmodernism, is a more acute problem than previous grand narratives, and that a new, unifying idea must emerge from a reformed, more holistic scientific approach to society.