"''Pensée unique''" ( French for "single thought") is a pejorative expression for mainstream

ideological An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied prim ...

conformism Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded. Norms are implicit, specific rules, shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others. People often choo ...

of any kind, almost always opposed to that of the speaker. Originally, it is a French expression and referred to claims that

neoliberalism Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...

is the only correct way to structure society. The phrase implies that mainstream discussion is limited by ideological assumptions of what is possible. One example of ''pensée unique'' given by critics was the motto of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

(former

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

TINA Tina may refer to: People *Tina (given name), people and fictional characters with the given name ''Tina'' Places *Tina, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran *Tina, Tunisia, a town in Sfax Governorate, Tunisia * Tina, Guadalcanal, Solomon ...

("There is no alternative"). The expression was coined by

Jean-François Kahn Jean-François Kahn (born 12 June 1938) is a French journalist and essayist. Biography published on evene.fr Life and career Born in Viroflay, Yvelines, he is the brother of scientists Axel Kahn and Olivier Kahn, and son of a Jewish father an ...

, editor-in-chief of L'Événement du Jeudi, in an editorial in January 1992. The phrase pensée unique is often used by political parties and organisations and in criticism. The term has been used regarding

prohibitionism Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful (i.e. prohibited) and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement.C Cant ...

of marijuana, with some commenters saying that ''pensée unique'' is a barrier to legalization.''ONU condena a Uruguay por violar convenios con la marihuana legal''
quotation:

See also

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