Is ideology harmful to good politics?

John says from 2012 that people get hosed when they choose ideology over actual humans, and in 2018 that ideological rigidity rarely holds up to careful scrutiny. Hank says in 2019 that allegiance to ideology over truth makes denial easy, and in 2025 that vaccines became a tribal fight once scary stories pulled them into the ideological divide.

Axis: ideology is harmful; judge policies ... ideology gives needed direction

Positions by date: 7 records in 7 videos. The position did not change in these records.

John

date	how	position	video
2012-10-16	first on record	John says a year of teaching world history taught him humans get less miserable when they collaborate and get hosed when they choose ideology over actual humans.	Burning Peeps, My OTP, and Velociraptors: It's Question Tuesday 00:03:02
2013-02-12	restate	John: however sensible a president's policy ideas, people only want to talk about ideology - his second reason never to want the job.	Talking to the President 00:03:01
2015-10-20	restate	John says Daniel, a practical and sensible person in an age of American ideologues, has kind of made him believe in politics again.	Nerdfighteria's Resident Comptroller? 00:01:43
2018-03-20	restate	John says that in his experience that kind of ideological rigidity rarely holds up to careful scrutiny.	The Russian Reversal 00:03:14

Hank

date	how	position	video
2019-08-23	first on record	Hank says denial is all too easy with more allegiance to ideology than to truth, which is why we must call a lie a lie no matter who says it.	The Amazon isn't "Burning" - It's Being Burned 00:06:36
2019-12-27	restate	Hank says not all worry is healthy: we need the right worries, ones that motivate us and are based in reality rather than ideology or blind opposition.	Why I'm Worried about 2020 00:02:51
2025-04-25	restate	Hank says vaccines were once outside the ideological divide until scary stories made them a fight; vocal political pro-vaccine advocacy now gets more Democrats but fewer Republicans vaccinated, because it is tribal.	How We Form Opinions 00:06:02