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Ideology and Utopia
situation, and to find out through analysis of what this par­
I ticularity consists. A clear and explicit avowal of the implicit
metaphysical presuppositions which underlie and make postsible
empirical knowledge will do more for the clarification
~
and advancement of research than a verbal denial of the
existence of these presuppositions accompanied by their surreptitious
admission through the back door.
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8. ONTOLOGICAL JUDGMENTS IMPLICIT IN THE
NON-EVALUATIVE CONCEPTION OF IDEOLOGY
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I We have taken this excursion into the fields of ontology27
Iand positivism because it seemed essential to get a correct
understanding of the movements of thought in this most recent
phase of intellectual history. What we described as an
.invisible shift from the non-evaluative approach to the evaluative
one not only characterizes our own thought: it is
typical of the whole development of contemporary thought.
Our conclusion as a result of this analysis is that historical
and sociological investigation in this period was originally
dominated by the non-evaluative point of view, out of which
developed t,,:~sigl)Jfi~!!!!._~ter.l!.'!Ji.Y~Lm~!!!ph~~~LQrien!!­
tions. The choice between these two alternatives resolves
nserr in the present situation into the following: on the Q!!.e
hand it is possible to accept as a fact thetr,!nsit2I)' char~r
1/ orthe historical event, when one is of the belief that what
ieanyiiliite!.s does'nor lie=-erihe~ln·TIi~:.~h.a.~.li~~ifOi~in
~er.~~~~~i~.__~~~~~!ut~ tI.:~~._c~