Ensnaring ideas by Aziz Ali Dad

Source: The News

Date: September 18, 2010

The study of the Platonic theory of forms leaves the reader wondering about Plato’s logic of keeping ideal realities, such as justice, equality, beauty and knowledge, away from the mundane world. His logic becomes clear when we read the Platonic theory of the world of ideals in the light of our own experiences. As social animals, we exist in the broader context of society where we are enmeshed in power relations and institutions that determine our ideas. The corruption of ideals precedes the corruption of individuals. 

In modern times, the ruling group controls people by maintaining its hegemony over ideas through the cultural industry and different institutional arrangements, which help in the manufacturing of consent and legitimacy. According Antonio Gramsci, consent is achieved not by force but by the reproduction of a particular ethos in the public sphere. Modern societies are more vulnerable to manipulations of power than traditional societies, because their mode of operation in the realm of ideas is subtle. Owing to the current economic and political order, the world of ideas has been ensnared by the ruling group’s power to safeguard its interests. This is also true in Pakistan in the case of the interface between state and ideas.

The Pakistani state’s experiments with different ideas clearly illustrate the failure of ideas manufactured for the vested interests. Since its inception the rulers of Pakistan have experimented with different concepts to provide legitimacy for their rule. Despite the change in performers the script remains the same, which is to maintain the status quo. During the last 63 years we have ersatz ideas and botched experiments, starting from the industrial revolution of Gen Ayub Khan, the socialism of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Islam of Ziaul Haq, the social contract of Benazir Bhutto, to the enlightened moderation and national reconciliation of Gen Pervez Musharraf. These ideas failed to deliver because their real meanings have been leached out for the expediencies of power. 

For more details: http://thenews.com.pk/18-09-2010/ethenews/e-5189.htm