College Bullshit Vocab
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
antimonies
answer
a contradiction between two beliefs or conclusions that are in themselves reasonable (a paradox); Immanuel Kant
question
antiphonal structure
answer
sung or recited in alternate turns of two groups, usually related to Christianity; ex. a conversation between two men
question
aporia
answer
an irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory; or the expression of real doubt
question
apropos
answer
concerning/with reference to, very appropriate to a particular situation, when a speaker believes another's comments or actions are not related to the situation
question
apt
answer
perfectly appropriate, clever and purposeful to a situation
question
Jean Baudrillard
answer
French philosopher; ideas combined philosophy and social thought, studied postmodernism, hyperreality and simulation; known for 'The Object System' and 'Utopie'
question
H. Rap Brown
answer
chairman of the Student nonviolent coordinating committee; autobiography Die ****** Die!; violence is very American and will eventually ruin it, civil rights movement
question
character foils
answer
in fiction; a character who contrasts with another character, most often the protagonist, to highlight characteristics of the other character
question
chiasmus
answer
words, grammatical structure, or concepts are repeated in reverse order either in the same or different form
question
Noam Chomsky
answer
father of linguistics; scientist and professor at MIT, "The Responsibility of Intellectuals" (his essay)
question
coherentism
answer
theory of epistemic justification; one is the coherence theory of truth, the other a theory of justification - the act of showing something to be right or reasonable
question
colloquial
answer
language used in ordinary or familiar conversation, informal
question
colloquium
answer
a conference or seminar in which scholars or experts present papers and analyze them
question
communitarianism
answer
a theory or system of social organization based on small group organizations; ideology that emphasizes of the individual to the community and the social importance of the family unit
question
conceit
answer
a fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor
question
connote
answer
imply or suggest in addition to the literal or primary meaning
question
constitutivism
answer
links our moral thoughts with the rules that we as agents make up; the morality of objects can be determined by their function and purpose
question
coup de grace
answer
a final blow or shot given to a wounded person or animal, an action that serves as the culmination of a bad or deteriorating situation
question
Darwinian
answer
of or relating to Charles Darwin (evolutionist)
question
deconstructivism
answer
an architectural movement or style that encourages free form and the open manifestation of complexity in a building
question
deductive
answer
characterized by the inference of particular instances from a general law; based on reason and logical analysis of available facts
question
demographics
answer
statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it
question
denote
answer
be a sign of; indicate
question
dénouement
answer
the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved
question
dialectics
answer
the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions
question
Dickensian
answer
of or reminiscent of the novels of an English novelist, especially in suggesting the poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters that they portray
question
discourse
answer
written or spoken communication or debate
question
dissertation
answer
a long essay on a particular subject, especially one written as a requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy degree
question
doubling
answer
a literary device that compares or contrasts the familiar with the strange
question
dualism
answer
the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects, or the state of being so divided
question
epistemology
answer
theory of knowledge; its nature, sources, and limits; philosophical term
question
esoteric
answer
understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest, something intended for a niche of people
question
fifth estate
answer
based on the class system of estates, ex. France; anti-mainstream media, ex. internet, bloggers; organizing social movements through social media, ex. Arab Spring, Wikileaks
question
Michel Foucault
answer
historian of systems of thought, most influential theorist of late 20th century; associated with structuralist and post structuralist movements ; famous for 'The Order of Things' and 'The History of Sexuality'
question
foundationalism
answer
philosophical theories of knowledge that rests upon justified belief; some secure foundation of certainty
question
gnoseology
answer
the philosophic theory of knowledge; inquiry into the basis, nature, validity, and limits of knowledge
question
gravitas
answer
a very serious quality or manner, of high seriousness
question
Hegelianism
answer
philosophy of German philosopher that places ultimate reality in ideas rather than in things and that uses dialectic to comprehend an absolute idea behind phenomena
question
Hobbesian
answer
of or relating to an English political philosopher known for theory that human beings can live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil conflict
question
idealism
answer
any view that stresses the central role of the ideal or the spiritual in the interpretation of experience
question
ideology
answer
a system of ideas or ideals, the science of ideas
question
inductive
answer
characterized by the inference of general laws from particular instances
question
jargon
answer
special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand
question
Joycean
answer
pertaining to the works of an Irish novelist and poet, one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century
question
Jungian
answer
school of psychology that emphasizes the primary importance of the individual psyche and the personal quest for wholeness
question
lexicon
answer
the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge
question
lexicographer
answer
a person who compiles dictionaries
question
Lockean
answer
relating to an English philosopher; theory that individuals have a right to private property from nature by working on it, but only "...at least where there is enough, and as good, left in common for others"
question
Marxist
answer
system of economic and political thought that says throughout history exploits the masses, class struggle has been the main agency of historical change, the capitalist system after the period of the dictatorship of the proletariat will be superseded by a socialist order and a classless society
question
metaphysics
answer
traditional branch of philosophy that explains the fundamental nature of being and the world around it
question
mimetic
answer
relating to the imitation of the real world in art and literature, and the deliberate imitation of the behavior of one group of people by another as a factor in social change
question
magniloquence
answer
use of high-flown language
question
grandiloquence
answer
a lofty, overly colorful, or pompous style in language
question
metonymy
answer
substitution of the name of an attribute for something similar, ex. suit for business executive
question
modernity
answer
the practice of sudden and unexpected breaks with traditional ways of viewing and interacting with the world
question
narratology
answer
branch of knowledge or literary criticism about the structure and function of narrative and its themes and symbols
question
negative space
answer
the space that surrounds an object in a image; in literature, building a narrative around a deliberately omitted detail
question
neocapitalism
answer
economic ideology that blends some elements of capitalism with other systems, including socialism
question
Nietzschean
answer
relating to German philologist; emphasizing the will to power as the chief motivating force of both the individual and society; famous for 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' and 'Beyond Good and Evil'
question
Orwellian
answer
adjective describing idea or societal condition as detrimental to free and open society, exhibited in his novel '1984' (ex. propaganda, surveillance)
question
pedagogy
answer
science and art of education, study and practice of how best to teach
question
pejorative
answer
insulting to someone or something, expressing criticism
question
phallocentrism
answer
a focus on the masculine viewpoint
question
phenomenology
answer
the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness
question
Platonism/Platonic
answer
derived from an ancient Greek philosopher; major ideas were: physical and metaphysical world exist, humans have logos and pathos, both aspects of human identity; trio of humanity: three natures, three divisions of nature, three aspects of a human
question
quorum
answer
the minimum number of members of an assembly or society to make the proceeding of the meeting valid
question
repudiate
answer
deny truth or credibility
question
rhetoric
answer
the art of effective speaking or writing
question
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
answer
French philosopher during French Revolution; believed in direct democracy to represent the general will of the people
question
sangfroid
answer
composure or coolness, something excessive, as shown in danger or under trying circumstances
question
sans
answer
without
question
scuttlebutt
answer
slang for rumor or gossip
question
situationism
answer
psychological theory that states general traits are solely determined by external, situational factors
question
social Darwinism
answer
groups, persons, or races are subject to Darwin's scientific rules of natural selection: "survival of the fittest", fosters competitive environment
question
social norming
answer
rules or standards of behavior share by a social group
question
Socratic
answer
laid foundation for modern western philosophy; most important theory method of inquiry, the breaking down of a problem into a series of question
question
strategic ambiguity
answer
making a claim or drawing a conclusion by using vague language
question
structuralism
answer
every element of human culture is part of a large structure and framework; closely associated with Sassure
question
Third Ear
answer
an analysis of human attitudes towards language with a focus on the habits of multi-language learners
question
upshot
answer
the final result or outcome
question
vernacular
answer
everyday spoken language, sometimes of a specific group or region
question
weltanschauung
answer
how humans are related to the universe
question
antanaclasis
answer
scheme where a writer uses the same word within one sentence or saying, but the word has a different definition each time based on its use
question
Albert Camus
answer
French Algerian philosopher; pioneer of absurdism; won the Nobel Prize; famous for 'The Myth of Sisyphus' and 'The Stranger'
question
deontology
answer
approach to ethics that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to rules, duty or obligation
question
Jacques Derrida
answer
French philosopher; best known for developing a form of semiotic analysis known as deconstruction; famous for 'Of Grammatology' and 'Glas'
question
différance
answer
French term coined by Derrida, sounds like the word 'difference'; plays on the words 'to defer' and 'to differ'; theory that tries to illuminate the way words are used and how their specific meaning is derived
question
existentialism
answer
a philosophical theory that emphasizes the existence of a person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of free will
question
determinism
answer
every event has a cause; everything in the universe is absolutely dependent on and governed by causal laws
question
fatalism
answer
all past, present, and future events have already been predetermined by God or another all-powerful force
question
Freudian
answer
relating to an Austrian neurologist; father of psychoanalysis; known for 'The Interpretation of Dreams' and 'The Ego and the Id'
question
hermeneutics
answer
branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts
question
individualism
answer
habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant; social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control
question
Kafkaesque
answer
relating to a German novelist, especially having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality; known for 'The Metamorphosis'
question
Immanuel Kant
answer
German philosopher, a central figure of modern philosophy; argued that fundamental concepts structure human experience, and that reason is the source of morality; known for 'Critique of Pure Reason'
question
Søren Kierkegaard
answer
Danish philosopher, widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher; known for 'Fear and Trembling'
question
Christine Korsgaard
answer
Kantian moral philosopher who works on the problem of value; not only explains the moral obligations we have to one another, but also justifies them; known for 'The Sources of Normativity'
question
Ayn Rand
answer
Russian-American philosopher known for developing objectivism; wrote 'Atlas Shrugged' and 'The Fountainhead'
question
objectivism
answer
the philosophy of Ayn Rand, advocates reason, independent thinking, rational self-interest, individual rights, and laissez-faire capitalism
question
ontology
answer
the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being
question
philological
answer
the study of literary texts and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their original form, and the determination of their meaning
question
post-postmodernism
answer
a wide-ranging set of developments in critical theory, philosophy, architecture, art, literature, and culture which are emerging from and reacting to postmodernism
question
Ferdinand de Saussure
answer
Swiss linguist and semiotician whose ideas laid a foundation for many significant developments both in linguistics and semiology; known for 'Course In General Linguistics'
question
Jean-Paul Sartre
answer
French philosopher known for developing classic phenomenology, focused on the construction of existentialism; known for 'Nausea' and 'Being and Nothingness'
question
semiotics
answer
the study of meaning-making, the philosophical theory of signs and symbols
question
semantics
answer
the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning
question
social theory
answer
analytical frameworks or paradigms used to examine social phenomena
question
trope
answer
a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression
question
utilitarianism
answer
a theory in normative ethics holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes utility, usually defined as maximizing total benefit and reducing suffering or the negatives
