"The word "ideology" has become a fixture in American political rhetoric, invoked by leaders to cast opponents' beliefs as dangerous, stupid or unfounded. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to "defeat the toxic poison of gender ideology," saying he would take "historic action" to reaffirm what he described as a divinely created gender binary. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has similarly criticized "DEI ideologies" in hiring and admissions, arguing instead for merit-based practices."
"Philosopher Antoine de Tracy coined "ideology" as a neutral concept for the scientific study of ideas, said Samuel Chan, who teaches political thought at Occidental College. De Tracy thought that an idea should be studied and interrogated the same way science studied the natural world. He believed this study of ideas would help bolster Enlightenment ideas of liberalism, including personal liberty and private property."
The word ideology is widely used in American political rhetoric to label opponents' beliefs as dangerous, stupid, or unfounded. Political figures have applied the term to gender issues, DEI policies, and alleged political motivations behind violence, while scholars describe movements such as Christian nationalism as ideologies asserting the United States was founded as and should remain a Christian nation. The term originated in the French Enlightenment when Antoine de Tracy coined it as a neutral concept for the scientific study of ideas, arguing that ideas should be examined like natural phenomena to support liberal principles. Napoleon later weaponized the term as a pejorative against political opponents. Karl Marx later adopted the word.
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