Philosophy Vocabulary

Individual: single; separate. Existentialism: a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. Consequentialism: the doctrine that the morality of an action is to be judged solely by its consequences. Nihilism: the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless. Absurdity: the quality or state of being ridiculous or wildly unreasonable. Hedonism: the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self­indulgence. Objectivism: the belief that certain things, especially moral truths, exist independently of human knowledge or perception of them. Individualism: the habit or principle of being independent and self­reliant. Determinism: the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some philosophers have taken determinism to imply that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions. Society: the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community. Oppression: prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. Altruism: the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well­being of others. Utilitarianism: the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. Biopower: is a term coined by French scholar, historian, and social theorist Michel

Foucault. It relates to the practice of modern nation states and their regulation of their subjects through "an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugations of bodies and the control of populations".

Totalitarianism: state is a concept used by some political scientists in which the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever