Failures of Political Philosophies

People frequently give the same fervor and zeal to their political beliefs as they do to their religious beliefs. In many cases, people identify with a philosophy without having seriously studied the true forces at work and the available options.

Likewise, political parties frequently perpetuate erroneous concepts. One way that this can happen is when a flawed idea was a strong tenet of the founder or other strong figure of the party. Another factor that is a serious flaw is that they frequently hold onto minor positions with dogged determination thereby undermining their key positions. Because the basic tenets of political philosophies may define the entire school of thought, false ideas may be held with religious fervor.

Social systems and the environments in which they exist are dynamic. Therefore, the structure also must undergo constant change. When people hold political dogma with the same conviction as religious views, necessary social changes can be irrational and difficult to implement, and therefore, tumultuous. In a democracy, each individual has a responsibility to analyze information so that they may make their own intelligent decisions for participating in the political process. As societies have become more complex, this task has grown immensely, and perhaps, is largely being neglected. It is not satisfactory in a democracy for an individual to take the word of someone else for one's stance on a particular issue, but it is a responsibility to analyze issues in detail and make the best decision from the available options independently.