Definition of Terms

Defining words, hopefully briefly, in order to establish a grounding of understanding based on a consistent use of meaning, through the source meaning of the word symbol as found in etymological records.

Please see previous in-depth article/works on understanding certain terms/concepts: Etymology page. This page will not be as in-depth to explain why and how words mean what they mean, but simply to state the concluded meaning.


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capital (13C)

of the head, from PIE kaput (head). A symbol that refers to what is considered first, leader, main, principal, chief, dominant, most important. A choice is made as to what is most important, depending on the goal or ends desired and the means available.

The word capital doesn’t tell you what is most important, people determine that.

Morality can be the capital after we have developed the survival capacities of ourselves. To then focus more towards self and others considerations and ways of living, where it isn’t me and those closest I identify with, but all who are morally considered in cooperative survival reciprocity. Self-preservation most-often-than-not will override objective moral decisions. A capital focus on goods and services, individual self-centered selfish survival, in a cooperative interactive system of economics with a medium of exchange to facilitate optimal survival, is likely required first in order to continually strive to make things better, through the necessity of the present condition being less than favorable which stimulates people to find ways to improve their survival and way of life, and cooperative survival is most optimal, so you tend to shift from self-centered focus towards a balance in socio-centered mindset.

capitalism (1854) – capital + ism

condition of having capital

ism – implying a practice, system, doctrine, etc.; the practice or teaching of a thing; a verb-forming element denoting the doing of the noun or adjective

Conventionally, it is used to mean acquisition of that which is capital. Currently, and for a long time now, capital has been goods and services, which is what people offer, and other people pay to acquire in order to survive or enjoy themselves. The capital, main, most important, chief focus in our lives that we have (capitalism), can be something else other than goods and services for survival or enjoyment.

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social (15C)

from Latin socialis “of companionship, of allies; united, living with others; of marriage, conjugal,” from socius “companion, ally,” probably originally “follower,” from PIE *sokw-yo-, suffixed form of root *sekw- (1) “to follow,” and thus related to sequi “to follow” (sequel)

The word social doesn’t tell you what is the way of living people are following or united upon, people determine that. Social implies an interaction and cooperation because that is required to unite and ally. Common aspects of social interaction and cooperation are based on survival and enjoyment. Goods and services can be exchanged or given. Exchanges are facilitated through a medium of exchange, such as money. This is still a social setting, even if you have goods and services.

socialism (1830s) – social + ism

It means the practice, system, doctrine, way of life, condition, or doing of companionship, allying, uniting. You follow a certain commonality or several. Everyone is a follower of that common general social doing, condition, way of life, practice, system, etc. Society is this way, everyone follows the societies way of living. Control on how to live, is not fully in the individual, but in the collective, generalized, normalized standards of acceptability (often put into “law”). When you violate those norms, it goes against the current way of life others live by. There are degrees of control that can be created, from ostracism, to governments. This is a natural development of cooperative interaction, where the aggregation of all individuals forms a common way of living. There is a difference in majority decisions and unanimous decisions.

Conventionally, socialism means following a community, alliance, union, and group-majority-standards (right or wrong) at the expense of individual liberties and choices, so that everyone allegedly has the same as everyone else by redistributing things “equally” (never happens) through a centralized authority (government). A blind unity and alliance based on ignoring other realities (individual equal rights for all) in favor of collective (often diminished) “rights”.

society (1530s)

“companionship, friendly association with others,” “fellowship, association, alliance, union, community,”

A society, is a social environment, where people cooperate and interact to some common degree, usually involving being connected through mediums of exchange and an economy. The world functions similarly, but with less common degrees of interaction and way of living. The global common factor is survival and resources or capital, such as money for greater enjoyment or power in economic survivability.

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valence (15th C) –

from Latin valentia “strength, capacity,” from valentem (nominative valens) “strong, stout, vigorous, powerful,” from Latin valere “be strong, be well, be worth, have power, be able, be in health,” from PIE root *wal- “be strong”

Psychology – The degree of attraction (positive) or aversion (negative) that an individual feels toward a specific event, object, or situation

The capacity of something to unite, react, or interact with something else.

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