"''Pensée unique''" (;
French for "single thought") is a pejorative expression for mainstream
ideological
An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...
conformism
Conformity or conformism is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to social group, group norms, politics or being like-minded. Social norm, Norms are implicit, specific rules, guidance shared by a group of individuals, that guide t ...
of any kind, almost always opposed to that of the speaker. Originally, it is a French expression and referred to claims that
neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pe ...
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
TINA ("There is no alternative"), the motto of former British prime minister
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
. The expression was coined by
Jean-François Kahn, 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.
History
The term "conventional wisdom" dates back to at least 1838, as a synonym for "commonplace kno ...
* There is no alternative (TINA)
References
Further reading
* ''La pensée unique'', collective work (with Jean Foyer and Jean-Pierre Thiollet), Economica/JM. Chardon & D.Lensel Ed., Paris, 1998.
French words and phrases
Political pejoratives
Rhetoric
{{politics-stub