Tingsten, totalitarismen och ideologierna

Sammanfattning: This thesis is concerned with the 'criticism of ideas’ developed by the Swedish political scientist, later important newspaper editor, Herbert Tingstcn (1896-1973), and with his proclamation of the end of ideology. Tingstcns outlook on the ideologies, in his central presentation of the concept in 1941, is treated in the context of the early discussions on totalitarianism. His criticism of the Uppsala school philosopher Axel Hägerström is shown to serve the purpose of demonstrating a theoretical mistake, perceived by Tingsten to be fundamental for Fascist belief in the power of myth and for the Hegelian and Marxist philosophies of history. From the treatment of philosophy of history, and of Karl Mannheims sociology of knowledge, the central problems in the relations between moral and rational judgement and historical explanation are destilled, and largely reduced to matters of method in intellectual history. In Tingsten, however, rationalism is found to be coexisting with an inspiration from the sceptical political theoreticians originally inspiring Mussolini. Tingsten was a Sorclian defender of democracy.