Ideology... is a kind of contemporary mythology, a realm which has purged itself of ambiguity and alternative possibility.
Interpretation
Ideology simplifies complex realities into clear narratives, much like mythology does.
In this quote, Terry Eagleton suggests that ideology functions similarly to mythology in contemporary society by creating structured narratives that eliminate uncertainty and reduce the complexity of reality. This simplification allows individuals to accept certain truths without recognizing the nuances and alternative viewpoints that exist, thus shaping their understanding of the world.
In practice
In a debate about political beliefs, one might say, 'Remember, ideology is like contemporary mythology; let's keep an open mind about alternative viewpoints.'
Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely thrust into the political unconscious can sovereignty feel secure.
One side-effect of the so-called war on terror has been a crisis of liberalism. This is not only a question of alarmingly illiberal legislation, but a more general problem of how the liberal state deals with its anti-liberal enemies.
All communication involves faith; indeed, some linguisticians hold that the potential obstacles to acts of verbal understanding are so many and diverse that it is a minor miracle that they take place at all.
The New Testament is a brutal destroyer of human illusions. If you follow Jesus and don't end up dead, it appears you have some explaining to do. The stark signifier of the human condition is one who spoke up for love and justice and was done to death for his pains. The traumatic truth of human history is a mutilated body.
Capitalism will behave antisocially if it is profitable for it to do so, and that can now mean human devastation on an unimaginable scale. What used to be apocalyptic fantasy is today no more than sober realism.
Poetry is the most subtle of the literary arts, and students grow more ingenious by the year at avoiding it. If they can nip around Milton, duck under Blake and collapse gratefully into the arms of Jane Austen, a lot of them will.
I like people that define their own values. I am much more interested in somebody who has their own definition of what they value, their own definition of what success is, their own definition of what love is.
Out of Ireland have we come, great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start. I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic heart.
Meditation is listening to the song of the inner Soul, seeing the beauty of the inner Self, smelling the fragrance of the inner Spirit, experiencing the touch of the inner energies and tasting the intense sweetness of the inner God.
Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions.
There are skeptics who do not come to their view because they have a source of income from carbon polluters.
According to the law that governs the universe,all sufferings are your labor of love to unveil your real self.
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