The word ideology made its appearence in French as idéologie during the time of the French revolution by the philosopher by Destutt de Tracy. He called it his “science of idea”. The term “ideology” is widely being used in politics, social sciences and mass media. Ideology is a combination of “idea” (meaning; opinion) and logo (meaning; ground).
An ideology is a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones; it is a system of idea that aspires both to explain the word and to change it. Ideology is a different form of beliefs about man, society and the universe. It is understood as a way of thinking abouth the cultural and social programme of a political movement launched to emancipate suppressed group from the exploitation of more dominate social class. Ideology is a term developed in the Marxist tradition to talk about how cultures are structured in ways that enable the group holding power to have the maximum control with the minimum of conflict.
An ideology begins with the belief that things can be better and it a plan with the help of which a society can be improved. According to Anthony Downs ideology is “a verbal image of the good society and of the chief means of constructing such a society.”
The negative notion of 'ideology ' has also become the central element in the commonsense and political uses of the term, namely as a system of false, misguided or misleading beliefs. For instance, in the ideology of