Social terminology

Sep. 4/ 2009 Hannah Moulds

Social Terminology

Related Issue #1 – Identity

Liberalism: political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority

Individualism: Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence

Common Good: the good of a community Collectivism: The principles or system of ownership and control of the means of

production and distribution by the people collectively, usually under the supervision of a government.

Ideology: A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system

Progressivism: The principles and practices of political progressives Individual Rights & Freedoms: a right is the moral sanction of a positive—of his

freedom to act on his own judgment, for his own goals, by his own voluntary, uncoerced choice

Competition: The act of competing, as for profit or a prize; rivalry Economic Freedom: freedom from regulation or other dictates from government or

other authority in economic (business) matters The rule of Law: state of order in which events conform to the law Private Property: refer to a bundle of rights on the use, control, and transfer of

assets, including land. Public Property: property owned by a government Collective Responsibility & Interests: refers to both the causal responsibility of

moral agents for harm in the world and the blameworthiness that we ascribe to them for having caused such harm

Cooperation: The association of persons or businesses for common, usually economic, benefit

Economic Equality: A principle common to the collectivist ideologies which can have different meanings depending on the person or the ideology. Governments may try to foster economic equality through tax policies and by ensuring that all people earn equal wages for work of similar value.

Collective Norms: The rules of behavior that are part of the ideology of the group. They tend to reflect the values of the group and specify those actions that are proper and those that are inappropriate, as well as rewards for adherence and the punishment for conformity.


Related Issue #2 – Resistance to Liberalism

John Locke: Advocate for democracy and direct involvement of citizens in government.

Baron de Montesquieu: Believed that all things were made up of rules or laws that never changed. He set out to study these laws scientifically with the hope that knowledge of the laws of government would reduce the problems of society and improve human life.

Adam Smith: Idea of the “invisible Hand.” As well as the idea that pursuing your own interest/wealth is in the interest of society- furthers social progress.

John Stuart Mill: Aim of his philosophy is to develop a positive view of the universe and the place of humans in it, one which contributes to the progress of human knowledge, individual freedom and human well-being

Laissez Faire Capitalism: Non- interference or non-intervention. Laissez-faire economics theory supports free markets and an individual’s rights to own private property.

Industrialization: The stage of economic development during which the application of technology results in mass production and mass consumption within a country.

The Class System: The division of a society into different classes of people, usually based on income or wealth

Limited Government: The principle of little government involvement in the affairs of an economy, in the belief that this results in more efficient self-regulating markets.

Classic Conservatism: An ideology that says government should represent the legacy of the past as well as the well-being of the present, and that society should be structured in a hierarchical fashion, that government should be chosen by a limited electorate, that leaders should be humanitarian, and that the stability of society is all important

Marxism: A radical form of socialism, often called scientific socialism or communism to distinguish it from other socialist ideologies.

Socialism: Any ideology that contains the belief that resources should be controlled by the public for the benefit of everyone in society, and not by private interests for the benefit of private owners and investors

Welfare Capitalism: Initiatives by industrialists to provide workers with non-monetary rewards to head off the growing demand for labour unions; also refers to government programs that would provide social safety networks for workers.

Labour Standards: Government-enforced rules and standards aimed at safe, clean working environments, and the protection of workers’ rights to free association, collective bargaining, and freedom from discrimination.

Unions: a political unit formed from previously independent people or organizations Universal Suffrage: The right of all members of society, once they reach the age of

accountability, to fully participate politically. This participation begins with the right vote.


Welfare State: A state in which the economy is capitalist, but the government uses policies that directly modify the market forces in order to ensure economic stability and a basic standard of living for its citizens. Usually through social programs.

Human Rights: The basic rights and freedoms, to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.

Feminism: The belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. The term also stands for the movement that advocate for these equalities.

Communism: A system of society with property vested in the community and each member working for the common benefit according to his or her capacity and receiving according to his or her needs.

Fascism: An extreme, right-wing, anti-democratic nationalist movement which led to a totalitarian forms of government in Germany and Italy from the 1920’s to and 1940’s.

Expansionism: A country’s foreign policy of acquiring additional territory through the violation of another country’s sovereignty for reasons of defense, resources, markets, national pride, or perceived racial superiority.

Expansionism: A country’s foreign policy of acquiring additional territory through the violation of another country’s sovereignty for reasons of defence, resources, markets, national pride, or perceived racial superiority.

Containment: The American Cold War foreign policy of containing the spread of communism by establishing strategic allies around the world through trade and military alliances.

Truman Doctrine and Domino Theory : The Cold War “containment” notion was born of the Domino Theory, which held that if one country fell under communist influence or control, its neighboring countries would soon follow

Deterrence: The Cold War foreign policy of both major powers aiming to deter the strategic advances of the other through arms development and arms build up. Deterrence depends on each combatant creating the perception that each is willing to resort to military confrontation.

Brinksmanship: International behavior or foreign policy that takes a country to the brink of war; pushing one’s demands to the point of threatening military action; usually refers to the showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union over Cuba in October 1962.

Détente: A period of the Cold War during which the major powers tried to lessen the tensions between them through diplomacy, arms talks and reductions, and cultural exchanges.

Non-alignment: The position taken during the Cold War by those countries in the United Nations that did not form an alliance with either United States of the Soviet Union. This group of countries became a third voting bloc with the UN and pushed for more aid for the developing world.

Liberation Movements: Military and political struggles of people for independence from countries that have colonized or otherwise oppressed them.


Neo-Conservatism: An ideology that emerged in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s as a reaction against modern liberal principles. Some aspects of neo-conservatism challenge modern liberal principles and favour a return to particular values of classical liberalism. Other neo-conservative ideas challenge both classical and modern liberal principles and favour values identified as “family values” and traditional values, often resting on a religious foundation.

Environmentalism: A political and ethical ideology that focuses on protecting the natural environment and lessening the harmful effects that human activities have on the ecosystem.

Post-modernism: A movement of thought, art, and criticism, that raises questions about the faith that moderns have in reason and in progress, and tries to get people to rethink their assumptions about the meaning of modern life.

Extremism: A term used by others to describe the beliefs and actions of those perceived to be outside of the accepted norms of political or social behaviour. Extremism mat be a response adopted by those whom ordinary political means of redressing perceived wrongs are deemed ineffective.

Related Issue #3 – Contemporary Liberalism

Consensus: General agreement or accord Direct vs. Representative Democracy: The representatives form more than what it

used to be when it was an independent ruling body (for an election period) charged with the responsibility of acting in the people's interest, but not as their proxy representatives; that is, not necessarily always according to their wishes, but with enough authority to exercise swift and resolute initiative in the face of changing circumstances. It is often contrasted with direct democracy, where representatives are absent or are limited in power as proxy representatives.

Authoritarianism: A form of government with authority vested un an elite group that may or may not rule in the interests of the people. Authoritarian political systems take many forms, including oligarchies, military dictatorships, ideological one-party states, and monarchies.

Command Economies: An economic system based on public (state) ownership of property in which government planners decide which goods to produce, how to produce them, and how they should be distributed; also known as centrally planned economy; usually found in communist states.

Free market Economies: A market that operates with limited government intervention. In a free-market economy, questions regarding production and marketing of goods and services are decided through the free interaction of producers and consumers.

Traditional Economies: An economic system usually practiced by a pre-industrialized society, where need are met through agriculture, hunting, and fishing, and where there tends to be a division of labour based on custom and tradition.


Mixed economies: An economic system based on free-market principles but with some government intervention, usually to regulate industry, to moderate the boom-and-bust nature of the free-market business cycle, and to offer social welfare programs. In some mixed economic systems, the government owns some key industries (such as communications, utilities, or transportation).

American Bill of Rights: The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution. Ratified by the original 13 states by 1791, it is based primarily on John Locke;s concept of “natural rights” for all individuals, including life, liberty, and the protection of property.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: A document entrenched in the Constitutional Act, 1982, that lists and describes the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed to Canadians.

Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms: A statutory bill of rights and human rights code that was passed by the National Assembly of Quebec in 1975.

War Measures Act: A Canadian law that gave the federal cabinet emergency powers for circumstances where it determines that the threat of war, invasion, or insurrection, real or apprehended, exists. It was replaced by the Emergencies Act (1988).

Patriot Act: The Act increases the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records; eases restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expands the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and enhances the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. The act also expands the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism, thus enlarging the number of activities to which the USA PATRIOT Act’s expanded law enforcement powers can be applied.

Debt: An amount of money, a service, or an item of property that is owed to somebody

Poverty: The state of not having enough money to take care of basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing

Racism: He belief that people of different races have different qualities and abilities, and that some races are inherently superior or inferior

Pandemics: Outbreaks of disease on a global scale Terrorism: The policy of various ideological groups to disrupt the affairs of an enemy

state or culture by the use of violent acts against non-combatants, in order to create debilitating terror and confusion

Censorship: The act of restricting freedom of expression or access to ideas or works, usually by governments, and usually to protect the perceived common good; may be related to speech, writings, works of art, religious practices, or military matters.


Illiberalism: Ideologies opposed to the values, beliefs, and principles of liberalism; usually refers to undemocratic actions but may be found in democratic countries during times of crisis.

Issue #4 – Citizenship

The Human Condition: refers to the distinctive features of human existence Dissent: The political act of disagreeing the right to disagree. Sometimes dissent

takes the form of popularly organized opposition to a tradition or an official policy or statute.

Civility: Thoughtfulness about how out actions may affect others, based on the recognition that human being live together.

Civil Disobedience: The refusal to obey a law because it is considered to be unjust; a form of non-violent political protests.

Political Participation: Any number of ways a citizen can be involved in the political process, such as voting, running as candidate, supporting a candidate, attending constituency meetings, speaking out, demonstrating, protesting, writing letters to elected representatives.

Citizen Advocacy: A movement to strengthen citizen action and motivation to participate in community and civic affairs; often focuses on bringing the marginalized back into the community.

Humanitarian Crises: Is an event or series of events which represents a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, usually over a wide area

Civil rights movements: Popular movements, notably in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, that works to extend rights to marginalized members of society. Often these struggles aim not only for legal and civic rights, but also for respect, dignity, and economic and social equality for all.

Anti-war movements: Organized campaigns against war. The Vietnam anti-war movement gained public support during the late 1960s and contributed to the United States ending that war. These movements can be pacifist in general, and aimed at ending or restricting the military policy options, or they can be movements opposing specific military campaigns.

McCarthyism (Red Scare): An anti-communist movement in the United States during the 1950s, led by Republican senator Joseph McCarthy. It was intended to uncover and persecute those with perceived ties to communism within the US government, universities, and entertainment industries.

Pro-democracy movements: Movements or campaigns in favour of democracy. Collective and Individual action: is the pursuit of a goal or set of goals one or more

people.

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Social terminology