Louis Althusser author of “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses” is definitely one of the most confusing readings that I’ve had to wrap my mind around. It took me a while to understand his two theses on Ideology and the ISA, but I think I finally understand.
First Thesis: “Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence” (44).
According to Althusser, his first thesis discusses the imaginary form of ideology, such as religious ideology. For this particular blog, I am going to refer to the “I believe in God” ideology. Althusser says that obviously if we are discussing these “world outlooks,” then we have to assume that we don’t live by these ideologies as the truth. In simpler words, these largely imaginary world outlooks do not correspond to reality. I find Althusser’s statement to be true, but if you were to ask my grandmother I think she would say otherwise. I don’t think everyone perceives religion as an imaginary ideology. Some people literally live by the bible and what it says, unfortunately that is why we have a lot of issues in this world (but I’ll save that for another blog post).
For example, I was talking to my grandmother about how I believe that people rely on religion to make our world seem like a better place. I told her that I think people rely on religion to help cope with death and to have someone to talk to when no one is around. I agree with Althusser in that admitting that religion does not correspond to reality, this means that religion is constituted as an illusion. If my grandmother knew that I was agreeing with Althusser she would probably disown me as her granddaughter.
Althusser then says, “they need only be ‘interpreted’ to discover the reality of the world behind their imaginary representation of that world (ideology = illusion/allusion)” (44).
In my own words, I think he is saying that religion is interpreted in order to be applied to our “real” world. People apply the imaginary representation of the bible and beliefs on our own world, thus creating an imaginary representation of our own world in our minds. There is a type of distortion that is created from religious ideology that allows everyone to feel as if they are existing in the real.
Second Thesis: “Ideology has a material existence” (45).
Imagine you believe in God or a higher power, thus meaning you need to practice your own beliefs of your religion. Where are you going to practice your beliefs? As stated before, ideas and representations of an ideology are solely imaginary and have a spiritual existence. Althusser’s second thesis highlights that ideally has a material existence. For example, the material existence of believing in God would be through the bible and or going to Church. Without the bible, God and many other beliefs would not be here today. In order for an ideology to remain in existence in needs to rely on its material existence.
Within the ideological state apparatuses, religion ISA, means that there has to be a realization of an ideology, which is what I discussed above. Believing in god, is a representation of imaginary ideas. The only way the ideology of God can be spread is through the bible and or going to church where one will sit and listen to someone read the bible. Thus knowing what we know now, I fully support Althusser’s other thesis that “an ideology always exists in an apparatus, and its practice or practices. This existence is material” (45).
This is my own personal belief, but to believe in God is to believe in the existence of the material provided.
I wanted to say sorry If I offend anyone’s religion or opinions on a higher power. I feel like this is a safe place for people to discuss theory, so I hope you understand where I am coming from. :)
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