Introduction to Ideologies, Feudalism, Renaissance, and Enlightenment Philosophers

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental ideological concepts, individualism vs. collectivistic principles, political spectrums, feudalism, the Renaissance, and Enlightenment thinkers.

Individualism

An ideology that places the rights and well-being of the individual above those of the group, emphasizing personal autonomy, self-reliance, and individual responsibility.

Collectivism

An ideology that places the rights and well-being of the group above those of the individual, holding that individuals serve the collective good while the group provides for the individual.

Rule of Law

The principle that everyone is equal before the law and that no individual is above the law, requiring clearly defined rules rather than arbitrary decisions by those in power.

Individual Rights and Freedoms

Values provided by government for the people, including freedom of culture, religion, association, the right to vote, and the right to life, liberty, and security of the person.

Private Property

Anything owned by an individual, including land, buildings, and intellectual property, granting rights of use, disposal, and income generation.

Economic Freedom

The freedom to buy what you want, sell labor or products to whomever you choose, and start a business, subject to the rule of law.

Competition

Rivalry among producers that encourages efficiency and ensures the best products at the lowest prices through supply and demand.

Self-Interest

Acting for one's own advantage or benefit without government control, which inadvertently benefits society as a whole.

Collective Norms

Culturally established rules governing behavior, values, conduct, or appearance that serve as a condition for membership in a group or society.

Collective Responsibility

The practice of holding an entire group responsible for the actions of individual members within that group.

Cooperation

Working together as a group to achieve a common goal.

Public Property

Property owned by the state and managed in the interest of the community, funded through public taxation.

Economic Equality

The principle of distributing wealth and resources through regulated taxes, equal pay for equal work, or the elimination of private property.

Collective Interest

The shared goals and common well-being held by a group, represented by organizations like trade unions or human rights groups.

Political Spectrum

A continuum measuring the degree of individual freedom relative to the power and control of the government.

Economic Spectrum

A continuum measuring the extent of government intervention in the economy to solve scarcity.

Radical

A political stance desiring major, fundamental change in society by any means necessary, moving in a new direction.

Liberalism

An ideology emphasizing individual rights and freedoms, equality, independence, and the belief that the individual is more important than the group.

Conservatism

An ideology focused on maintaining tradition, moral responsibility, public order, personal economic freedom, and maintaining the status quo through gradual change under authority.

Reactionary

A political stance desiring a return to past social and political structures through fundamental change by any possible means.

Communism

An ideology based on Karl Marx's ideas and interpreted by Lenin, aiming for a politically and economically equal society with ultimate state control over all decisions.

Socialism

An ideology based on Marx's ideas that rejects violent revolution in favor of slow, legal changes toward political and economic equality.

Fascism

An authoritarian ideology associated with Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler that advocates extreme nationalism, strict hierarchy, and the absolute supremacy of the State and its leader.

Anarchism

The belief that people should organize into small groups without formal government structures, relying on natural sharing and cooperation.

Feudalism

The dominant politico-economic system of Western Europe (500 – 1700 AD) centered around feudal lords providing protection in exchange for land concessions ('fiefs') and labor or rents.

Humanists

Renaissance artists, writers, and scholars who revived ancient Greek and Roman learning and focused on human potential and the natural world rather than divine matters.

Mercantilism

An economic system criticized by Enlightenment philosophers for being arbitrary, unreasonable, and harmful to society as a whole.

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher (1588 – 1679) who wrote Leviathan, arguing that humans are naturally selfish and require the strict rule of an absolute monarch to maintain social order through fear.

John Locke

English philosopher (1632 – 1704) who argued that humans are naturally good and equal, possessing natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that government must rule with the consent of the majority.

Tabula Rasa

John Locke's concept that a child's mind at birth is a 'blank slate' and that all learning and knowledge come from experience.

Montesquieu

French philosopher (1689 – 1755) who wrote Spirit of the Laws, attacking absolutism and advocating for the separation of government powers to protect individual life, liberty, and property.

Harm Principle

John Stuart Mill's principle that individual rights are limited only by the necessity of preventing harm to the rights of others.

Adam Smith

Scottish economist (1723 – 1790) who wrote The Wealth of Nations, opposing mercantilism and arguing that individual self-interest and an 'invisible hand' drive economic prosperity without government intervention.

Laissez-faire

An economic doctrine advocated by Adam Smith encouraging free-market operations without government intervention.