Law-and-order ideology legitimizes state intervention in crises

Evidence

What Karl Polanyi once said about the failed ideas of an earlier era also rings true in this instance: by the standards of the IMF, the Washington Consensus’ “spectacular failure … did not destroy its authority at all. Indeed, its partial eclipse may have even strengthened its hold since it enabled its defenders to argue that the incomplete application of its principles was the reason for every and any difficulty laid to its charge.” Once again, when it comes to austerity, mere facts seldom get in the way of a good ideology. And a good ideology, in the absence of supporting facts, can always supply a few good models to generate those facts when needed. — Mark Blyth, Austerity, 445 (#complicates, via linked claim)

The doctrine of the necessary survival of the fittest, with its implication that the top layers in society eventually are the “fittest,” died as the conquest doctrine had died, namely, at the moment when the ruling classes in England or the English domination in colonial possessions were no longer absolutely secure, and when it became highly doubtful whether those who were “fittest” today would still be the fittest tomorrow. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 474 (#complicates, via linked claim)

The historian is concerned with them only insofar as they are themselves part of his history and because they stand in the way of his search for truth. Being a contemporary, he is as likely to succumb to their persuasive force as anybody else. Caution in handling generally accepted opinions that claim to explain whole trends of history is especially important for the historian of modern times, because the last century has produced an abundance of ideologies that pretend to be keys to history but are actually nothing but desperate efforts to escape responsibility. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 78 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Non-interventionist governments were forced into greater intervention — David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity: An…, 1030; State intervention to secure legitimation generates an ever-deepening need for more legitimation — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 2697; Intellectual orthodoxies require active institutional support to survive crises, not inertia — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 552 (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• An ideology’s partial eclipse can strengthen its authority through blame deflection #complicates (0.74) — Mark Blyth, Austerity, 445
• Survival-of-the-fittest ideology collapses when ruling security is threatened #complicates (0.73) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 474
• Totalizing ideologies are desperate efforts to escape responsibility #complicates (0.72) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 78