To put a name to it

I need a systemic nomenclature, dedicated terms to help clarify my thinking, especially as it relates to the thought processes described in my last two posts.

We'll start with the basics: names for the two opposed positions on my recent subject continuum.

I have researched some standard terms: liberal, conservative, progressive, reactionary, socialist, fascist and several more in the same vein. Turns out that various socio-political philosophies have mixed and matched these terms for the past few centuries; pinning down a consistent meaning is a task that seems beyond me, anyway.

I decided to go with a couple of other terms. Though they, too, have been used in socio-political contexts, it has not been extensively so in recent decades. These terms have the additional advantage of speaking directly to the continuum of emotional response to which I have alluded over the past two weeks, that of the degree of comfort with or acceptance of change and uncertainty.

The terms I have determined to use are these: reform and resistance. I’ll define these terms here, as I intend to use them. I will also open a new page, “Glossary,” linked on the right under the Pages heading.

Reform: a preference for change in policies and practices that will, from this perspective, be the approach more likely to improve socio-economic conditions.

Resistance: a preference for the status quo or for a re-establishment of ultimately traditional former policies and practices that, from this perspective, are more likely to improve socio-economic conditions.

Let’s call those definitions works-in-progress. I suspect already that they will need further development and clarification. I will update the definitions on the Glossary page and will probably preserve the revisions there for editorial reference.

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