4.3.1 Ideological Conflict within Liberal Societies
Completion requirements
4.3.1 Ideological Conflict within Liberal Society
©ADLC
In the previous two sections, you learned about the impact of conflicting ideologies on individuals, groups and the world. Now that the Cold War is over, what are some other ways ideologies come into conflict within liberal societies?
American economist and philosopher Frances Fukayama wondered this when he wrote his book The End of History and the Last Man:
American economist and philosopher Frances Fukayama wondered this when he wrote his book The End of History and the Last Man:
"What
we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the
passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of
history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological
evolution and the universalization
of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human
government."
Frances Fukayama
Recent conflicts have proved him wrong.
In our world today, there is a great deal of diversity, not only in race, language, and culture but also in ideological perspectives. Many people and communities continue to hold various beliefs and values that conflict with liberal principles. They may value economic equality over the individual pursuit of profit.
They may consider the well-being of the group (the collective) over the rights of the individual. They may have religious beliefs that contradict or conflict with the individual rights provided in a liberal society. Alternatively, some believe that the environment has to be protected at the expense of private property ownership or economic freedom. These differences lead to conflicting perspectives in a liberal society.
As you learned in Unit One, ideological perspectives are based on individual and collective beliefs and values. In this section, you will explore reasons why some ideas and beliefs come into conflict with modern liberalism. You will continue to examine other challenges to modern liberalism in Unit Five and Seven.
Take notes about how different ideological perspectives create conflict in contemporary society.
Always consider the section question:
Always consider the section question:
How do certain ideas and beliefs challenge our liberal society?