Republicans for Progress

Political Definitions

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The purpose of this section is to offer political terms and definitions often used by politicians’ and media without the general public understanding the meaning of these terms.


Left-Right; Liberal-Conservative Political Spectrum

 
This spectrum is broad, overlapping and can be very confusing, except when there are extremes. People who don’t spend time in politics hear all of these terms directed to each other in the media and between individuals. Frequently, they are said in a way to be demeaning. 

National Public Radio has a program called “Left, Right, and Center” that provides different views, which sometimes appeared to over-lap. Conservatism under Willian Buckley is not the same as today. So, what are the correct definitions? We turned to the authorities at Wikipedia and Wikimedia, not to be confused with Wikileaks. For more details and references, one should go to these two sources.

Political Definitions

Broad political philosophy centered on what many see as the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems and the separation of church and state, right to due process and equality under the law are widely accepted as a common foundation across the spectrum of liberal thought.

Includes issues such as same-sex marriage, reproductive and other women’s rights, voting rights for all adult citizens, civil rights, environmental justice, and government protection of freedom from want. National social services such as equal education opportunities, access to health care and transportation infrastructure are intended to meet the responsibility to promote the general welfare of all citizens as established by the Constitution. Some American liberals, who call themselves classical liberals, fiscal conservatives, or libertarians, support fundamental liberal ideals, but diverge from modern liberal thought, holding that economic freedom is more important than equality and that providing for the general welfare exceeds the legitimate role of government.

Since the 1930s, the term liberalism (without a qualifier) usually refers in the United States to modern liberalism, a political philosophy exemplified by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and later Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society. It is a form of social liberalism, whose accomplishments include the Works Progress Administration and the Social Security Act in 1935, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Moderate Democrats, are a moderate ideological faction within the Democratic Party of the United States. As the “Third Way” faction of the party, they support both social liberalism and economic liberalism. New Democrats dominated the party from the late-1980s through the mid-2010s. They are represented by organizations such as the New Democrat and the New Democrat Coalition.

According to recent polls, moderates are commonly identified as the second largest group, closely trailing conservatives, constituting between 36% and 39% of the population. Moderates are commonly defined through limiting the extent to which they adopt liberal and conservative ideas.

Conservative liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or simply representing the right wing of the liberal movement. It is a more positive and less radical variant of classical liberalism.

Libertarians seek to maximize political freedom and autonomy, emphasizing freedom of choice, voluntary association, and individual judgement. Libertarians share a skepticism of authority and state power, but they diverge on the scope of their opposition to existing economic and political systems.

A person who advocates the control of different activities and organizations under a single authority.

Conservatism is a political and social philosophy promoting traditional social institutions in the context of culture and civilization. The central tenets of conservatism include tradition, organic society, hierarchy, authority, and property rights.

Believe in limiting government in size and scope, and in a balance between national government and states’ rights. … Social conservatives oppose abortion and same-sex marriage, while privileging traditional marriage and supporting Christian prayer in public schools. Conservatism in the US believes that it is characterized by respect for American traditions, republicanism, support for Judeo-Christian values, moral universalism, pro-business and anti-labor union, anti-socialism and Communism and Defense of America.

Modern moderates have been known as “business conservatives”, and Congressional moderates are members of Main Street Republicans or The Tuesday Group. Moderates tend to be conservative-to-moderate on fiscal issues and moderate-to-liberal on social issues. While they sometimes share the economic views of Conservative Republicans—e.g. balanced budgets, lower taxes, free trade, deregulation, and welfare reform.

Differ in that some are for affirmative action, same-sex marriages, gay adoption, legal access to and even funding for abortion, gun control laws, more environmental regulation legislation  and anti-climate change measures, fewer restrictions on legal immigration and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and embryonic stem cell research.

Is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic, social, and ethical issues, or a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by liberalism.

Liberal conservatism incorporates the classical liberal view of minimal government intervention in the economy, according to which individuals should be free to participate in the market and generate wealth without government interference. However, liberal conservatism also holds that individuals cannot be thoroughly depended on to act responsibly in other spheres of life, therefore liberal conservatives believe that a strong state is necessary to ensure law and order and social institutions are needed to nurture a sense of duty and responsibility to the nation. They also support civil liberties, along with some social conservative positions.

Is a system of classifying political positions, ideologies, and parties from equality on the left to social hierarchy om the right. Left-Wing politics and Right-Wing politics are often presented as opposed, although a particular individual or group may take a Left-Wing stance on one matter and a Right-Wing stance on another; and some stances may overlap and be considered either Left or Right Wing depending on the ideology. In France, where terms originated, the Left has been called “The Part of Movement” and the Right “The Party of Order.” The intermediate stance is called Centrism and a person with such stance is a Moderate or Centrist.

The political terms “Left” and “Right” were coined during the French Revolution (1789–1799), referring to the seating arrangement in the French Estates General: those who sat on the left generally opposed the monarchy and supported the revolution, including the creation of a republic and secularization, while those on the right were supportive of the traditional institutions of the Old Regime. Use of the term “Left” became more prominent after the restoration of the French monarchy in 1815 when it was applied to the “Independents”. The word “wing” was appended to Left and Right in the late 19th century, usually with disparaging intent and “left-wing” was applied to those who were unorthodox in their religious or political views.

The term was later applied to a number of movements, especially republicanism during the French Revolution in the 18th century, followed by socialism, communism, anarchism and social democracy in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since then, the term left-wing has been applied to a broad range of movements including civil rights movements, feminist movements, anti-war movements, and environmental movements, as well as a wide range of parties. According to former professor of economics Barry Clark, “[leftists] claim that human development flourishes when individuals engage in cooperative, mutually respectful relations that can thrive only when excessive differences in status, power, and wealth are eliminated”

Right-wing politics holds that certain social orders, i.e., liberal, conservative, and hierarchies,, i.e., social stratification {*} are inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, or tradition. Hierarchy and inequality may be viewed as natural results of traditional social differences or the competition in market economies. The term right-wing can generally refer to “the  conservative or reactionary section of a political party or system”.

According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics, in liberal democracies, the political right opposes socialism and social democracy. Right-wing parties include conservatives, Christian democrats, classical liberals, nationalists; and on the far-right, racists, and fascists.

A kind of social differentiation whereby members of a society are grouped into socioeconomic strata, based upon their occupation and income, wealth, and social status, or diverted power (social and political).

Left-wing politics supports social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. It typically involves a concern for those in society whom its adherents perceive as disadvantaged relative to others as well as a belief that there are unjustified inequalities that need to be reduced or abolished.

Far-left politics are political views located further on the left of the left-right spectrum than the standard political left. The term has been used to describe ideologies such as: communism, anarchism, anarcho-communism, left-communism, anarcho-syndicalism, Marxism–Leninism, Trotskyism, and Maoism.

Far-right politics are politics further on the right of the left-right spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of extreme nationalism, nativist ideologies, and authoritarian tendencies, all sustained by an organicist vision of the world.

Generally, the left-wing is characterized by an emphasis on “ideas such as Liberty, equality, fraternity, rights, progress, reform and internationalism”, while the right-wing is characterized by an emphasis on “notions such as authority, hierarchy, order, duty, tradition, reaction and nationalism”.

are politics further on the extreme right of the left-right spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of extreme nationalism, nativism, ideologies, and authoritarian tendencies.
The term is often used to describe Nazism, neo-Nazism, fascism, neo-fascism and other similar ideologies or organizations that feature ultranationalism, chauvinism, xenophobism, racist, anti-communism or reactionary views. These can lead to oppression and violence against groups of people based on their supposed inferiority, or their perceived threat to the native ethnic group, nation, state or ultraconservative traditional social institutions


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far-right_politics

Ethical/Moral and Unethical/Immoral Terms

Involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and unethical behavior. Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject areas: meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.

1. Agreement with or belief in an idea or explanation.

2. The action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered.

Failing to conform to standards of moral virtue or acceptable conduct.

A man who cheats or tricks someone by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not true.

A person’s moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one’s behavior.

The action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.

Deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain.

The action of deceiving someone.

Deceitfulness shown in someone’s character or behavior.

Profoundly immoral and wicked.

1. Treating people equally without favoritism or discrimination.

2. Just or appropriate in the circumstances.

1. Not according with truth or fact; incorrect.

2. Made to imitate something in order to deceive.

3. Illusory; not actually so.

1. Not genuine; imitation or counterfeit.

2. A thing that is not genuine; a forgery or sham.

Something that is invented or untrue.

1. An underlying basis or principle.

1. To be desired or approved of.

2. Having the required qualities; of a high standard.

3. Possessing or displaying moral virtue.

The quality of being morally good or virtuous.

Intense dislike.

Intense dislike; hate.

A humorous or malicious deception.

1. Free of deceit; truthful and sincere.

2. Fairly earned, especially through hard work.

The quality of being honest.

The practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case or truth.

Reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity.

Wicked or criminal.

A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

The state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status.

The ability or willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behavior that one dislikes or disagrees with.

That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

A lie or false statement (often used euphemistically)

The doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. OR: The doctrine that an action is right as far as it promotes happiness, and that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding conduct.

The principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgement of what is important in life. Principles.

Justice, Government, and Political Terms

A claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof.

1. A state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority or other controlling systems.

2. Absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political ideal.

A political protest movement comprising autonomous groups affiliated by their opposition to fascism and other forms of extreme right-wing ideology.

The enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.

The action, treated as a criminal offence, of demanding payment or another benefit from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them.

Dishonestly persuade (someone) to act in one’s favor by a gift of money or other inducement.

The giving or offering of a bribe.

An economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

1. a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office or select delegates to attend a convention.

2. An informal group composed of legislators who have shared concerns or interests.

3. A group within an organization or political party which meets independently to discuss strategy or tactics.

1. Act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage.

2. Gain an advantage over or deprive of something by using unfair or deceitful methods; defraud.

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy in order to deceive others.

A theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs.

1. Commitment to traditional values and ideas with opposition to change or innovation.

2. The holding of political views that favor free enterprise, private ownership, and socially conservative ideas.

A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.

Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

An action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law.

A system of government by the entire population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

The profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country’s representatives abroad.

1. A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.

2. A stated principle of government policy, particularly, in foreign or military affairs.

A salary, fee, or profit from employment or office.

1. The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.

2. Information drawn from personal testimony, a document, or a material object, used to establish facts in a legal investigation or admissible as testimony in a law court.

The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.

The holding of extreme political or religious views; fanaticism.

A small organized dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics.

1. An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.

2. (In widespread use) extreme authoritarian, oppressive, or intolerant views or practices.

1. Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.

2. A person or thing intended to deceive others, typically by unjustifiably claiming or being credited with accomplishments or qualities.

The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants. The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.

Manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) as to favor one party or class.

The practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case or truth.

Information received from other people which cannot be substantiated; rumor.

2. The report of another person’s words by a witness, which is usually disallowed as evidence in a court of law.

1. A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

2. The set of beliefs characteristic of a social group or individual.

A violent uprising against an authority or government

1. Just behavior or treatment.

2. The quality of being fair and reasonable.

3. The administration of the law or authority in maintaining this.

The male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth.

The system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.

The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.

The holding of liberal views.

Seek to influence (a legislator) on an issue.

A person who takes part in an organized attempt to influence legislators.

Wrongdoing, especially by a public official.

A sovereign head of state, especially a king, queen, or emperor.

Identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

A small group of people having control of a country or organization.

A supreme ruler, especially a monarch.

1. A particular social, political, or economic system.

2. An authoritative command or instruction.

The offence of willfully telling an untruth or making a misrepresentation under oath.

A course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual.

1. Relating to the government or public affairs of a country.

2. Done or acting in the interests of status or power within an organization rather than as a matter of principle

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

The beliefs or actions of people who advocate thorough or complete political or social reform.

A rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.

A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

One of a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct or procedure within a particular area of activity.

A dishonest scheme; a fraud.

An action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing public outrage.

Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state.

The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.

A political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as whole.

A person who supports a government’s right to self-government or full independence.

A system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

A person who betrays someone or something, such as a friend, cause, or principle.

The crime of betraying one’s country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government.

Characterized by or reflecting strong group loyalty.

Cruel and oppressive government or rule.

The doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority.

Religious Terms

A member of Anabaptism is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation who believe only in adult baptism by total immersion in water as Jesus was baptized, as opposed to Catholicism who believe in non-immersing infant baptism. Anabaptists have stricter social rules than Baptists. Among the Anabaptist groups still present are mainly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonites.

A member of a Protestant Christian denomination advocating baptism only of adult believers by total immersion. Baptists form one of the largest Protestant bodies and are found throughout the world and especially in the US.

Of the Roman Catholic faith.

The faith, practice, and church order of the Roman Catholic Church.

A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.

1. A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.

2. A stated principle of government policy, particularly, in foreign or military affairs.

Of or denoting a tradition within Protestant Christianity emphasizing the authority of the Bible, personal conversion, and the doctrine of salvation by faith in the Atonement.

1. The spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness.

2. Zealous advocacy or support of a particular cause.

A person who seeks to convert others to the Christian faith, especially by public preaching.

1. Friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests.

2. A group of people meeting to pursue a shared interest or aim.

The practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case or truth.

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a religion founded in the US in 1830 by Joseph Smith Jr.

The religious beliefs and practices of Mormons.

The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.

A Christian theological movement named for its belief that the God in Christianity is one person (Spirit), as opposed to the Trinity which in most other branches of Christianity defines God as one being in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Unitarian Christians, therefore, believe that Jesus was inspired by God in his moral teachings, and he is a savior, but he was not a deity or God incarnate. As is typical of dissenters, Unitarianism does not constitute one single Christian denomination, but rather refers to a collection of both extant and extinct Christian groups, whether historically related to each other or not, which share a common theological concept of the oneness nature of God.

PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, BEHAVIORAL, & EMOTIONAL TERMS

1. The action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered.

2. The process or fact of being received as adequate, valid, or suitable.

3. Agreement with or belief in an idea or explanation.

A person’s secondary or alternative personality.

1. An exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one.

2. A reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action, or theory.

1. Not such as to be hoped for or desired; unpleasant or unwelcome.

2. Of poor quality or a low standard.

3. Failing to conform to standards of moral virtue or acceptable conduct.

1. The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others.

2. The way in which an animal or person acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus.

Acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. Something one accepts as true or real, a firmly held opinion A religious conviction. Trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.

Feel or declare that (someone or something) is responsible for a fault or wrong.

Pressurize (someone) into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means.

A ridiculous but amusing person;

A group of people with a strong common interest

Displaying kindness and concern for others.

The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

1. The way a person behaves, especially in a particular place or situation.

2. The way an organization or activity is managed or directed.

Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

The ability to do something that frightens one; bravery.

The ability to do something successfully or efficiently.

Persuade (someone) to do or believe something by lying to them.

A man who cheats or tricks someone by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not true.

Acting or done without forethought.

A person’s moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one’s behavior.

A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.

The feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration.

Prevention of wasteful use of a resource.

The expression of disapproval of someone based on perceived faults.

The action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.

Deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain.

The action of deceiving someone.

An idiosyncratic belief or impression maintained despite being contradicted by reality or rational argument, typically as a symptom of mental disorder.

1. The action of denying something.

2. Refusal to acknowledge an unacceptable truth or emotion or to admit it into consciousness, used as a defense mechanism.

Not operating normally or properly.

1. A person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.

2. The part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.

Arousing or characterized by intense feeling.

A strong feeling deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

Practical contact with and observation of facts or events. The knowledge or skill acquired by a period of practical experience of something, especially that gained in a particular progression.

Relating to existence.

1. Lack of success.

2. the neglect or omission of expected or required action.

1. A children’s story about magical and imaginary beings and lands; a fairy story.

2. A fabricated story, especially one intended to deceive.

1. Not genuine; imitation or counterfeit.

2. A thing that is not genuine; a forgery or sham.

1. The faculty or activity of imagining impossible or improbable things.

2. An idea with no basis in

Something that is invented or untrue.

The quality of being free from the control of fate or necessity—may first have been attributed to human will, but Newtonian physics attributes freedom—degrees of freedom, free bodies—to objects. Freedom differs from liberty as control differs from discipline.

1. Work or operate in a proper or particular way.

2. An activity that is natural to or the purpose of a person or thing.

1. Of or having a special activity, purpose, or task.

2. (Of a mental illness) having no discernible organic cause.

1. To be desired or approved of.

2. Having the required qualities; of a high standard.

3. Possessing or displaying moral virtue.

The quality of being morally good or virtuous.

1. Splendor and impressiveness, especially of appearance or style.

2. High rank or social importance.

Impressive and imposing in appearance or style, especially pretentiously so.

Intense dislike.

Intense dislike; hate.

A humorous or malicious deception.

The practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case or truth.

1. Information received from other people which cannot be substantiated; rumor.

2. The report of another person’s words by a witness, which is usually disallowed as evidence in a court of law.

1. A thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action.

2. The aim or purpose.

The formation of ideas or concepts.

1. An instance of a wrong or misinterpreted perception of a sensory experience.

2. A deceptive appearance or impression.

Lack of knowledge or information.

Inability to do something successfully; ineptitude.

Acting or done without forethought.

The capacity to influence the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.

Lack of knowledge or information.

1. Facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

2. Awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.

1. Not firm or fixed; liable to give way or break.

2. uncertain or anxious about oneself; not confident.

The ability for a person to acquire and apply knowledge.

Taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or exaggeration.

An intense feeling of deep affection.

1. Mental illness is marked by periods of great excitement or euphoria, delusions, and overactivity.

2. An excessive enthusiasm or desire; an obsession.

The power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.

1. (In psychiatry) relating to or affected by mania.

2. Showing wild, apparently deranged, excitement and energy.

Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive.

The faculty by which the mind (brain) stores and remembers information.

Awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes.

The branch of philosophy deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts, such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space. It has two main arguments:

1. Plato-that which holds that what exists lies beyond experience.

2. Immanuel Kant- that which holds that objects of experience constitute the only reality.

“hatred or dislike of, or prejudice against women.” And after

A reason for doing something.

1. Excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance.

2. Selfishness, involving a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration, as characterizing a personality type.

Failure to take proper care over something.

Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

A standard or pattern, especially of social behavior, that is usual, typical, or expected.

A view or judgment is formed about something, is not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

1. The combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character.

2. A celebrity or famous person.

1. An estimate or forecast of a future situation based on a study of present trends.

2. The presentation or promotion of someone or something in a particular way. 3. A mental image viewed as reality.

Of, affecting, or arising in the mind; related to the mental and emotional state of a person.

Relating to, denoting, or suffering from a psychosis.

1. The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.

2. The mental characteristics or attitude of a person or group.

The state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.

A return to a former or less developed state.

Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

A large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect.

1. Denoting or having a personality type characterized by emotional aloofness and solitary habits.

2. Having inconsistent or contradictory elements; mad or crazy.

1. Fixed or fastened so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost.

2. Certain to remain safe and unthreatened.

3. Feeling confident and free from fear or anxiety. 4. Protect against threats, make safe.

The action or state of setting someone or something apart from others.

Relating to society or its organization.

1. (Of an object or structure) not likely to give way or overturn; firmly fixed.

2. Sane and sensible; not easily upset or disturbed.

The state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status.

1. The action of transferring something or the process of being transferred.

2. The redirection to a substitute, usually a therapist, of emotions that were originally felt in childhood (in a phase of analysis called transference neurosis.)

1. An idealistic philosophical and social movement which originate by Immanuel Kant in his “Critique of Pure Reason” (1781) and later developed in New England around 1836 in reaction to rationalism. Influenced by romanticism, Platonism, and Kantian philosophy, it taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held progressive views on feminism and communal living. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were central figures.

2. A system developed by Immanuel Kant, based on the idea that, in order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process which governs the nature of experience.    

Characterized by or reflecting strong group loyalty.

The behavior and attitudes stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group.

That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

1. Likely to give way; not stable.

2. Prone to psychiatric problems or sudden changes of mood.

Relating to or done by all people or things in the world or in a particular group; applicable to all cases.

The principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgement of what is important in life. Principles.

Dislike, prejudice, or hatred toward or against people of other countries.

SCIENTIFIC AND UNSCIENTIFIC TERMS

The quality or state of being correct or precise.

Detailed examination of the elements or structure of something

1. An exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one.

2. A reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action, or theory.

Suppose to be the case, without proof.

A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

Complete disorder and confusion.

1. An abstract idea.

2. A plan or intention

1. Expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments.

2. Having decisive or crucial importance in the success, failure, or existence of something.

The forming or devising of a plan or idea.

The process of establishing a relationship or connection between two or more things.

The expression of disapproval of something based on perceived faults or mistakes.

Material that provides official information or evidence or that serves as a record.

1. A piece of written, printed, or electronic matter that provides information or evidence or that serves as an official record.

2. Record (something) in written, photographic, or other forms.

1. An essential or characteristic part of something abstract.

2. The rudiments of a subject.

Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

The available body of facts or information indicates whether a proposition is true or valid.

Practical contact with and observation of facts or events. 2. An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone.

A scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis or demonstrate a known fact. 2. A course of action tentatively adopted without being sure of the outcome.

The action or process of trying out latest ideas, methods, or activities.

Based on untested ideas or techniques and not yet established or finalized.

A thing that is known or proved to be true.

1. Not according to truth or fact; incorrect.

2. Made to imitate something in order to deceive.

Something that is invented or untrue.

1. Affecting or concerning all or most people or things; widespread.

2. Considering or including only the primary features or elements of something; not exact or detailed.

1. A supposition or proposed explanation made based on limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

2. A proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth.

1. A thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action.

2. The aim or purpose.

The formation of ideas or concepts.

1. The action or process of identifying someone or something or the fact of being identified.

2. A means of proving a person’s identity, especially in the form of official papers.

The occurrence, rate, or frequency of a disease, crime, or another undesirable thing.

A conclusion was reached based on evidence and reasoning.

Carry out a systematic or formal inquiry to discover and examine the facts of (an incident, allegation, etc.) to establish the truth.

The action of investigating something or someone; formal or systematic examination or research.

Reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity.

Reasoning or thought which is not logical.

Lacking sense or clear, sound reasoning.

The power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.

A small amount is allowed for in case of miscalculation or change of circumstances.

A particular procedure for accomplishing or approaching something, especially a systematic or established one.

1. A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

2. A widely held but false belief or idea.

Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

A standard or pattern, especially of social behavior, that is usual, typical, or expected.

The action or process of closely observing or monitoring something or someone.

The arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method.

A view or judgment is formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

1. The ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses.

2. The way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.

Suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief.

1. The science of the causes and effects of diseases, especially the branch of medicine that deals with the laboratory examination of samples of body tissue for diagnostic or forensic purposes.

2. Mental, social, or linguistic abnormality or malfunction.

1. Relating to pathology.

2. Compulsive; obsessive.

The quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate.

Say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something.

A thing predicted; a forecast.

The quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or importance.

1. Forward or onward movement towards a destination.

2. Develop towards an improved or more advanced condition.

The process of developing or moving gradually towards a more advanced state.

A previous statement or proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion.

1. Happening or developing gradually or in stages.

2. (Of a person or idea) favoring social reform

Suppose that something is the case based on probability.

An idea that is taken to be true based on probability.

The fact or condition of being prevalent; commonness.

Widespread in a particular area or at a particular time.

The quality or state of being probable; the extent to which something is likely to happen or be true.

A statement or assertion that expresses a judgment or opinion.

The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

The intellectual and practical activity encompasses the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. 

Based on or characterized by the methods and principles of science. 2. Systemic, methodical.

The quality or condition of being sensitive.

Quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences.

The quality of belonging or relating uniquely to a particular subject.

The practice or science of collecting and analyzing numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative sample. A statistic is a characteristic of a sample. Generally, a statistic is used to estimate the value of a population parameter. For instance, suppose we selected a random sample of 100 students from a school with 1000 students. The average height of the sampled students would be an example of a statistic.

Relating to the use of statistics.

Statistical Significance is the likelihood that a relationship between two or more variables is caused by something other than chance. Statistical hypothesis testing is used to determine whether the result of a data set is statistically significant. 

The combination of components or elements to form a connected whole.

A supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained or proved.

Concerned with or involving the theory of a subject or area of study rather than its practical application.

That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

Something that is invented or untrue.

The process of establishing the truth, accuracy, or validity of something.

[*1] Nativism is the political policy of promoting or protecting the interests of native or indigenous inhabitants over those of immigrants, including the support of immigration restriction measures.


In scholarly studies, nativism is a standard technical term, although those who hold this political view do not typically accept the label. Ozgur Dindar wrote, “[N]ativists […] do not consider themselves [to be] nativists. For them it is a negative term and they rather consider themselves as ‘Patriots’.