Understanding dogmas and dreams

the long version

In her introduction to Dogmas and Dreams: A Reader in Modern Political Ideologies, Nancy S. Love outlines three reasons for studying political ideologies: to understand modern politics, to think democratically, and to democratize political theory. To guide students in the study of ideologies, Understanding Dogmas and Dreams amplifies Love's suggestions for analyzing texts such as those presented in her reader. She recommends that the student explore the historical context for each political ideology, then seek to identify the following components in the text: a critique of existing society, a vision of a better future, and a strategy for getting from here to there. All three, she concludes, are usually informed by an underlying concept of human nature.