Philosophy vs ideology

Philosophy versus Ideology What is philosophy? Philosophy is derived from the Greek words philein which means “ to love” and sophia which means “ wisdom”. In Psychology it is the activity of creating concepts (Bermudez, 10). Thus, a true philosopher therefore is a lover of wisdom which eventually leads him or her to create certain concepts or origin of ideas. Since concepts are developed in the process of philosophizing philosophy therefore is attempting to understand the world in which every person is an integral part. Thus, the human senses are crucial in this process. In philosophy, an individual is considered to be faced with different concepts which primarily aimed at understanding the human existence, mind, values, culture, reason and more. Thus, philosophy is an integral part of the human experience because of his intellect and moral obligations in line with his pursuit to understand the nature and origin of ideas.
What is ideology?
Beliefs and ideas disregarding whether they are true or false are integral part of ideology (Eagleton, 1991). The most familiar adage puts it that no man is an island. This implies that socialization is part of being human. Thus, the society in general is composed of individual, social movement, institution or group which function together based on certain beliefs and ideas. These guide them in their daily living as they continue to exist and be a part of the highly structured society. Thus, an ideology therefore is a guiding principle underlying the existence of an individual, class or group.
The difference
Philosophy and ideology are different because the former is more focused on being objective in understanding the world while ideology might be based on either subjective or objective belief.
For example, the Greek mythology is a specific replica of what an ideology is all about. Doctrine on the other hand is another form of ideology. Considering that there are various religions in the world, each of them carries substantial doctrine which is another form of ideology. The Roman Catholic has specific doctrines that may or may not be applicable among Protestants.
Philosophy on the other hand tries to organize beliefs and ideas based on the truth using the senses. Everything is highly intellectualized with Philosophy. For instance, a suspect may remain as such until proven guilty due to strong supporting evidences. In Philosophy, it is only the truth that counts in order to understand various concepts, ideas or beliefs in order to trace their very nature or inception.
Knowing the truth
In a society where people’s beliefs are subject to what they felt, perceived and experienced, the truth is always based on what the human mind can fathom or understand. It is in this reason that faith does not need to be intellectualized because it is more than what the human mind can fathom. It remains an ideology. However, because of ideology, it does not necessarily follow that what is not seen is not real at all. For instance, electricity is not seen by naked eye but it is capable of producing light, sound and heat and so it therefore exists. Thus, the truth is always explained in detail based on the human experience.
References
Bermudez, Jose Luis. Philosophy of psychology: a contemporary introduction. New York: Routledge, 2005.
Eagleton, Terry. Ideology: an introduction. New York: Verso.