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Related Flashcards
Cards In This Set
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Rationalism
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The belief that the world can be understood and explained through the exercise of human reason, based on assumptions about its rational structure.
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Pragmatism
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A theory or practice that places primary emphasis on practical circumstances and goals; pragmatism implies a distrust of abstract ideas.
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Meta-ideology
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A higher or second-order ideology that lays down the grounds on which ideological debate can take place.
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Progress
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Moving forwards; the belief that history is characterized by human advancement based on the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom.
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Meritocracy
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Rule by the talented; the principle that rewards and positions should be distributed on the basis of ability.
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Atomism
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The belief that society is made up of a collection of largely self-sufficient individuals who owe little or nothing to one another.
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Economic liberalism
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A belief in the market as a self-regulating mechanism tending naturally to deliver general prosperity and opportunities for all.
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Big government
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Interventionist government, usually understood to imply economic management and social regulation.
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Redistribution
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A narrowing of material inequalities brought about through a combination of progressive taxation and welfare provision.
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Ancien régime
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(French) Literally, ‘old order’; usually linked with the absolutist structures that predated the French Revolution.
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Paternalism
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An attitude or policy that demonstrates care or concern for those unable to help themselves, as in the (supposed) relationship between a father and a child.
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Noblesse oblige
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(French) Literally, the ‘obligations of the nobility’; in general terms, the responsibility to guide or protect those less fortunate or less privileged.
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Toryism
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An ideological stance within conservatism characterized by a belief in hierarchy, an emphasis on tradition, and support for duty and organicism.
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Natural aristocracy
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The idea that talent and leadership are innate or inbred qualities that cannot be acquired through effort or self-advancement.
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Christian democracy
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An ideological tendency within European conservatism, characterized by commitment to social-market principles and qualified interventionism.
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