"But what is the connection between ideology and pessimism? Why is the ideology pessimistic?
Again, Milton Friedman (2002) has provided the most honest and direct answer. He labeled the ideology as “liberalism,” cautioning at the same time, however, that his use of the term referred not to its corrupted association with concepts such as social welfare or equality, but to its earlier emphasis on “freedom as the ultimate goal and the individual as the ultimate entity in the society.” He also recognized that the ideology was more commonly referred to as “conservatism,” but he preferred “liberalism” because it sounded more “radical” (p. 6).
At the heart of this ideology lies two convictions. First, in Friedman’s words, “a major aim of the liberal is to leave the ethical problem for the individual to wrestle with.” In other words, it can and, indeed, must be excluded from social theory. The way to do so is to base all theories on the assumption of homogeneous human behavior based on
self-interest. And, second, “the liberal conceives of men as imperfect beings . . . and regards the problem of social organization to be as much a negative problem of preventing bad people from doing harm as of enabling good people to do good. . .” (p.12). And, given that much of social science until then had focused on the second part of the problem, the agenda of social scientists thereon, that is, for the last 40 years has focused on the first part, that is, the “negative problem.” Hence the pessimism, the ideology-based gloomy vision."
Again, Milton Friedman (2002) has provided the most honest and direct answer. He labeled the ideology as “liberalism,” cautioning at the same time, however, that his use of the term referred not to its corrupted association with concepts such as social welfare or equality, but to its earlier emphasis on “freedom as the ultimate goal and the individual as the ultimate entity in the society.” He also recognized that the ideology was more commonly referred to as “conservatism,” but he preferred “liberalism” because it sounded more “radical” (p. 6).
At the heart of this ideology lies two convictions. First, in Friedman’s words, “a major aim of the liberal is to leave the ethical problem for the individual to wrestle with.” In other words, it can and, indeed, must be excluded from social theory. The way to do so is to base all theories on the assumption of homogeneous human behavior based on
self-interest. And, second, “the liberal conceives of men as imperfect beings . . . and regards the problem of social organization to be as much a negative problem of preventing bad people from doing harm as of enabling good people to do good. . .” (p.12). And, given that much of social science until then had focused on the second part of the problem, the agenda of social scientists thereon, that is, for the last 40 years has focused on the first part, that is, the “negative problem.” Hence the pessimism, the ideology-based gloomy vision."
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