Ideologies: A Hindrance To Rationality?

I was watching the press preview on Sky News last night as I often find myself doing and there were two journalists on the sofa having a right old barny over the benefits system (as is the current fashion for those involved in politics).

As each laid into the other’s remarks in scenes reminiscent of the playground, it got me thinking about how a person’s ideology can make him almost incapable of rational thought.

These two opposing journalists both seemed so sure that they were right and the other were wrong that they couldn’t see that there were merits in what both of them were saying.

As with many issues, climate change, and the actions required to prevent its most damaging effects, draw a lot of heated discussion but I’m certain that much of this is misguided by ideology in the same way.

I’m not saying that I am entirely impartial because clearly I am not; I believe climate change to be the biggest risk to our continued prosperity as a species and society. Last night, however, I may have had some sort of small lightbulb moment and it may just influence how I judge things in future.

I could very well ask myself: have I been too quick to write off fracking or waste incineration because of a lack of information? Did I perform thorough enough research when concluding that overpopulation isn’t the problem many make it out to be? Can the concept of natural capital really have a positive impact on the state of ecosystems that find themselves at risk?

The last of those questions is especially interesting because I dismissed natural capital after reading just a few short articles on the topic. I thought it was gut instinct that swayed me but it may well have been my own ideology. I definitely didn’t do enough research to allow me to draw a rational conclusion.

I’m going to have to give this some more thought but I’ll end by asking you – do you think you are driven by an ideology or are you able to keep an objective head on when making decisions?

Steve (156 Posts)

I am chief writer and editor on Green Steve. Blogging since 2011, I like to delve into a wide number of topics to help people reduce their carbon footprint. You should follow me on Twitter here. And add me to your Google+ circles here.

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