Is the argument that a group of individuals or a high percentage of holders of an Ideology act "outside of the

Question

Is the argument that a group of individuals or a high percentage of holders of an Ideology act "outside of the ideology" when they act in a certain way that makes the Ideology look poorly or hypocritical a valid arguement ?

For Instance, I am a Neo Conservative. Currently the Bush Administration and the Republican party are spending money like drunken sailors. If someone where to argue that neo-conservatives believe in large government/spending money, would it be a valid arguement to say that they are working outside of the principles of Neo-conservatism despite being the largest Neo-conservative group in America

Answer 1

if "...spending money like drunken sailors" runs contrary to the principles of neo conservatism, then yes - similar to the idea that republicans are spending money as though they were democrats.  It's difficult to differentiate between party lines - it's become a big blur ~ and meaningless.

Answer 2

It would depend on what the believers who are not in power have to say about it. As we have seen, very few people can prevent themselves from getting drunk on power and forgetting the promises they made earlier.

Answer 3

Certainly, if subscribing to an ideology or "movement" where the majority of the "subscribers" act in contradiction to its dogma, then clearly it exposes the ideology as hypocritical and otherwise irrelevant to them.

Answer 4

Absolutely.

Hypocrisy in behavior is a de facto indication that groups or individuals are "acting outside" of the philosophies they identify with.

For example, the Judeo-Christian tradition holds as a foundational tenet that "Thou Shalt Not Kill," yet we have the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. These are acts committed by individuals and groups of individuals that go completely against the grain of their traditions.

If someone is claiming that Neo-Cons believe in large gov't/big spending (traditionally the province of the Dems/Liberals), that person would be making an erroneous claim. Current Neo-Cons in the gov't are simply behaving badly. They are out of step with their own beliefs.