"''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 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 from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
(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 ...
):
TINA ("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 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
* Conventional wisdom
The conventional wisdom or received opinion is the body of ideas or explanations generally accepted by the public and/or by experts in a field. In religion, this is known as orthodoxy.
Etymology
The term is often credited to the economist John ...
*There is no alternative
"There is no alternative" (TINA) is a slogan strongly associated with the policies and persona of the Conservative British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
In a speech to the Conservative Women's Conference on 21 May 1980, Thatcher appealed ...
References
Further reading
* ''La pensée unique'', collective work (with Jean Foyer and Jean-Pierre Thiollet
Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist.
Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...
), Economica/JM. Chardon & D.Lensel Ed., Paris, 1998.
French words and phrases
Political slurs
Rhetoric
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