▁believe ▁themselves ▁to ▁be ▁performing ▁certain ▁intellectual ▁operations ▁with ▁regard ▁to ▁an ▁issue , ▁which , ▁in ▁reality , ▁have ▁quite ▁a ▁different ▁significance ▁than ▁what ▁they ▁imagine . ▁The ▁second ▁result ▁is ▁that ▁their ▁intellectual ▁cre ations ▁can ▁then ▁function ▁as ▁a ▁mask ▁for ▁what ▁is ▁really ▁at ▁st ake , ▁precisely ▁because ▁the ▁issue ▁is ▁port rayed ▁in ▁a ▁one - s ided ▁or ▁dist orted ▁way ▁– ▁without ▁the ▁ide olog ists ▁being ▁aware ▁of ▁how ▁that ▁works . ▁The ▁ide olog ists ▁are ▁aware ▁and ▁una ware ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁time . ▁The ▁problem , ▁says ▁Eng els , ▁is ▁that ▁they ▁ex agger ate ▁the ▁power ▁of ▁ideas , ▁even ▁to ▁the ▁point ▁where ▁ideas ▁seem ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁cause ▁of ▁all ▁that ▁happens . ▁This ▁occurs ▁especially ▁if ▁the ▁intellectual ▁produ ctions ▁occur ▁at ▁quite ▁some ▁distance ▁from ▁the ▁practical ▁context ▁to ▁which ▁they ▁properly ▁refer , ▁or ▁if ▁they ▁concern ▁special ized , ▁highly ▁abstract ▁ideas ▁which ▁cannot ▁easily ▁be ▁verified ▁ ▁Level s ▁of ▁mask ing ▁ ▁Historical ▁The ▁" character ▁mask s ▁of ▁an ▁era " ▁refer , ▁according ▁to ▁Marx ▁and ▁Eng els , ▁to ▁its ▁main ▁symbol ic ▁expressions ▁of ▁self - just ification ▁or ▁ap ologist , ▁the ▁function ▁of ▁which ▁is ▁to ▁dis gu ise , ▁emb ell ish ▁or ▁myst ify ▁social ▁contradict ions ▁(" the ▁bits ▁that ▁do ▁not ▁fit "). ▁A ▁pur port ed ▁" m yst ical ▁truth " ▁in ▁this ▁context ▁is ▁a ▁meaning ▁which