2. Ideological Reasoning
Chapter 13
Ideological Reasoning

3. Learning Outcomes
Explain ideological reasoning and its implications for beliefs and actions
Apply correctly the criteria for the evaluation of ideological reasoning
Describe the uses, benefits, and risks of ideological reasoning
Learning Outcomes
The chapter first explains ideological reasoning and its implications for beliefs and actions.
It further helps correctly apply the criteria for the evaluation of ideological reasoning.
Finally it describes the uses, benefits, and risks of ideological reasoning.

4. Chapter Opening Video Chapter Opening Video
The video explains the concept of ideological reasoning.
It helps us understand ideological reasoning and how it is based on our principles and core beliefs.

5. Recognizing Ideological Reasoning
Examples of ideological reasoning
Features of ideological reasoning
Recognizing Ideological Reasoning
Ideological reasoning: Process of thinking that begins with abstractions or generalizations that express one’s core beliefs, concepts, values, or principles.
Proceeds to reason top down to specific applications.
Referred to as top-down thinking.
Examples of ideological reasoning.
Immigration policy
Human nature
Features of ideological reasoning.
Deductive in character.
Ideological premises are axiomatic.
Argument maker takes the ideological absolutes on faith.

6. Examples of Ideological Reasoning
Immigration policy
Person illegally entering the country is breaking the law and is a criminal
I support the amendment that requires incarceration and deportation of all illegal immigrants
Government policies and laws that destroy the family unit are bad
I oppose the amendment which would separate a family apart by deporting a parent or child
Examples of Ideological Reasoning
Immigration policy
Person illegally entering the country is breaking the law and is a criminal.
I support the amendment that requires incarceration and deportation of all illegal immigrants.
Government policies and laws that destroy the family unit are bad.
I oppose the amendment which would separate a family apart by deporting a parent or child.
Enforcing the laws and protecting families are core commitments.

7. Examples of Ideological Reasoning
Human nature
People are fundamentally good and it is wrong to take away people’s freedom
I support individuals who maximize individual liberties
People are fundamentally bad
Additional individual liberty will lead to greater societal disintegration
Examples of Ideological Reasoning
Human nature
People are fundamentally good and it is wrong to take away people’s freedom.
I support individuals who maximize individual liberties.
People are fundamentally bad.
Additional individual liberty will lead to greater societal disintegration.
Arguments begin with a core belief about human nature.
Issue cannot be resolved shortly.
Ideological reasoning has consequences for policies and practices that affect people’s lives.

8. Ideological Reasoning
Describes the top-down thinking approach of ideological reasoning from abstract ideas and beliefs to deductive inferences to specific applications.

9. Features of Ideological Reasoning
Deductive in character
Conclusions of arguments are presented as certainties
Ideologues seek facts that support their points of view
Arguments move from general ideas to specific applications
Features of Ideological Reasoning
Deductive in character
Conclusions of arguments are presented as certainties.
Ideologues seek facts that support their points of view.
Not all deductive reasoning is ideological.
Describing ideological reasoning as deductive focuses on the certainty with which ideological thinkers endow their conclusions.
Arguments move from general ideas to specific applications.

10. Features of Ideological Reasoning
Ideological premises are axiomatic
Assumptions are community’s or individual’s beliefs and core values
Ideas or beliefs used to initiate arguments represent:
Axioms that contribute other ideas
Features of Ideological Reasoning
Ideological premises are axiomatic.
Assumptions are community’s or individual’s beliefs and core values.
Ideas or beliefs used to initiate arguments represent axioms that contribute other ideas.
Axioms - Set of first principles, starting points, or assumptions.

11. Features of Ideological Reasoning
Argument maker takes the ideological absolutes on faith
Ideological thinkers:
Try to bend science to fit preconceptions
Regard absolutes as immune from disconfirmation
Features of Ideological Reasoning
Argument maker takes the ideological absolutes on faith.
Ideological thinkers:
Try to bend science to fit preconceptions.
Do not require scientific confirmation of first principles.
Regard absolutes as immune from disconfirmation.
Reasoning begins with the conviction that axiomatic first principles express good ideals, worthy purposes, and true beliefs.

12. Evaluating Ideological Reasoning
Are the ideological premises true?
Logical strength and ideological belief systems
Relevancy, non-circularity, and ideological reasoning
Evaluating Ideological Reasoning
Evaluation of ideological reasoning requires asking four questions.
Are all the premises true?
Is the argument logically strong?
Are the reasons relevant to the claim being made?
Is the argument non-circular?
Are the ideological premises true?
Test requires to integrate and apply the interpretation, analysis, inference, and evaluation skills.
Logical strength and ideological belief systems.
Ideological arguments exhibit reasonable levels of logical strength.
Relevancy, non-circularity, and ideological reasoning.
Test of Relevancy and non-circularity yields positive results and produces consternation respectively.

13. Applying the Test of Truthfulness of the Premises
Test requires applying one or more possibilities based on the beliefs or argument maker and evaluating the credibility of the premises.

14. Are the Ideological Premises True?
Test involves considering all premises
Possibilities in applying the Test of the Truthfulness of the Premises
Speaker does not back a given premise
Argument maker is the source of the premise
Cite a source trusted by the speaker
Argument maker’s reason for the truthfulness of premise
Are the Ideological Premises True?
Test involves considering all premises.
Requires to integrate and apply the interpretation, analysis, inference, and evaluation skills.
Possibilities in applying the Test of the Truthfulness of the Premises.
Speaker does not back a given premise.
Argument maker is the source of the premise.
Cite a source trusted by the speaker.
Argument maker’s reason for the truthfulness of premise.

15. Logical Strength and Ideological Belief Systems
Ideological arguments are product of deductive reasoning
Exhibit reasonable levels of logical strength
Ideological belief structures contain internal contradictions
Resolved by debate and examination of documents
Logical Strength and Ideological Belief Systems
Ideological arguments are product of deductive reasoning.
Exhibit reasonable levels of logical strength.
Ideological belief structures contain internal contradictions.
Resolved by debate and examination of documents.
Critical thinking requires to revise or abandon one or more of the beliefs to resolve contradictions.

16. Relevancy, Non-circularity, and Ideological Reasoning
Test of Relevancy yields unambiguously positive results
Non-circularity produces consternation
Relevancy, Non-circularity, and Ideological Reasoning
Test of Relevancy yields unambiguously positive results.
Proponents of large-scale ideological systems declare ideologies to be relevant to everything.
Non-circularity produces consternation.
Ideological arguments normally pass non-circularity test.

17. Benefits of Ideological Reasoning
Ideologies define and shape communities
Provide individuals a strong sense of identity
Ideological convictions enable to escape the suffocating malaise of relativism
Ideological reasoning offers an efficient way of addressing novel questions
Benefits of Ideological Reasoning
Ideologies define and shape communities.
Provide individuals a strong sense of identity.
Ideological convictions enable to escape the suffocating malaise of relativism.
Core values of an ideological belief system guide our thinking about:
Right and wrong.
Good and bad.
Obligatory and optional.
Ideological reasoning offers an efficient way of addressing novel questions.

18. Discussion Questions
Kate Kelly faced excommunication for publically advocating gender equality within the practice of Mormonism
A spokeswoman for the Church said no person can “dictate to God what is right for his Church”
Can a person change their core religious, national or political identity?
Can they become someone other than who they were born and raised to be?
Discussion Question
Kate Kelly faced excommunication for publically advocating gender equality within the practice of Mormonism.
Excommunication - Right to expel members who publically advocate positions which the religion officially opposes.
A spokeswoman for the Church said no person can “dictate to God what is right for his Church.”
Kate Kelly said that her Mormon faith was part of her identity, that it was not something that excommunication could wash off.
Can a person change their core religious, national or political identity?
Can they become someone other than who they were born and raised to be?

19. Risks of Ideological Reasoning
Ideological reasoning is powerfully persuasive
Ideological belief structures are socially normative
Ideological reasoning constrains and empowers
Risks of Ideological Reasoning
Ideological reasoning is powerfully persuasive.
Ideological convictions are difficult to consider as mistakes.
Ideological belief structures are socially normative.
Lack of scientific way to investigate the certain beliefs and claims.
Ideological reasoning constrains and empowers.
Axiomatic core convictions have life-shaping consequences.

20. Sketchnote Video Sketchnote Video
The video summarizes the concept of ideological thinking or the top-down approach of reasoning.