Research Definitions – The Language Behind Power and Control

C

Conspiracy theory

A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation),^[3][4][5] when other explanations are more probable.^[3][6][7] The term generally has a negative connotation, implying that the appeal of a conspiracy theory is based in prejudice, emotional conviction, insufficient evidence, and/or paranoia.^[8] A conspiracy theory is distinct from a conspiracy; it refers to a hypothesized conspiracy with specific characteristics, including but not limited to opposition to the mainstream consensus among those who are qualified to evaluate its accuracy, such as scientists or historians.^[9][10][11] As such conspiracy theories are identified as lay theories.

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I

Illuminati

The Illuminati (/əˌluːmɪˈnɑːti/; plural of Latin illuminatus, ‘enlightened’) is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 May 1776 in the Electorate of Bavaria. The society’s stated goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power. “The order of the day”, they wrote in their general statutes, “is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them.”^[1]

The Illuminati—along with Freemasonry and other secret societies—were outlawed through edict by Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, with the encouragement of the Catholic Church, in 1784, 1785, 1787 and 1790.^[2] During subsequent years, the group was generally vilified by conservative and religious critics, who claimed that the Illuminati continued underground and were responsible for the French Revolution. It attracted literary men such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder and the reigning Duke of Gotha and of Weimar.^{[3] Wikipedia}

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J

Jurisdiction

In law, jurisdiction is the authority of a legal body to make decisions and judgments, often limited by geography, subject matter, or type of case.

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S

Samizdat

(Russian: самиздат, pronounced [səmɨzˈdat], lit. ‘self-publishing‘) was a form of dissident activity across the Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the documents from reader to reader. The practice of manual reproduction was widespread, because printed texts could be traced back to the source. This was a grassroots practice used to evade official Soviet censorship. Wikipedia

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V

Vatican City

Vatican City,^[g][h] officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano;^[i] Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae),^[j][k] often improperly shortened as the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign state^[18][19] and city-state. It is an enclave within Rome, seat of the Catholic Church, and serves as the administrative centre of the Catholic Church.^[20][21] It became independent from the Kingdom of Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty. Vatican City is governed by the See of Rome, commonly known as the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law, which maintains its temporal power, governance, diplomacy, and spiritual independence. Vatican is also used as a metonym for the Holy See, which is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City, comprising the pope and the Roman Curia.^[22]

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Z

Zeitgeist

In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a Zeitgeist^[1] (German pronunciation: [ˈtsaɪtɡaɪst] ^ⓘ; lit. ‘spirit of the age‘; capitalized in German) is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history.^[2] The term is usually associated with Georg W. F. Hegel, contrasting with Hegel’s use of Volksgeist “national spirit” and Weltgeist “world-spirit”.

Its coinage and popularization precede Hegel, and are mostly due to Herder and Goethe.^[3] Other philosophers who were associated with such concepts include Spencer^{[year needed]} and Voltaire.^{[year needed][4]}

Contemporary use of the term sometimes, more colloquially, is similar to the Overton Window in referring to a schema of fashions or fads that prescribe what is considered to be acceptable or tasteful for an era: e.g., in fields like architecture, psychotherapy, or journalism.^[4]      Wikipedia

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