Chapter 27 Vocab

Question 1

logical positivism

Answer 1

a philosophy that sees meaning in only those beliefs that can be empirically proven, and that therefore rejects most of the concerns of traditional philosophy, from the existence of God to the meaning of happiness as nonsense

Question 2

existentialism

Answer 2

a philosophy that stresses the meaninglessness of existence and the importance of the individual in searching for moral values in an uncertain world

Question 3

theory of special relativity

Answer 3

albert einstein’s theory that time and space are relative to the observer, and that only the speed of light remains constant

Question 4

id, ego, superego

Answer 4

freudian terms to describe the three parts of the self and the basis of human behavior, which freud saw as basically irrational

Question 5

stream-of-consciousness technique

Answer 5

a literary technique, found in works by Virginia Woolf, james joyce, and others, that ises interior monologue, a character’s thoughts and feelings as they occur to explore the human psyche

Question 6

modernism

Answer 6

a lbael given to the artistic and cultural movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which were typified by radical experimentation that challenged traditional forms of artistic expression

Question 7

functionalism

Answer 7

the principle that buildings, like industrial products, should serve as well as possible the purpose for which they were made

Question 8

bauhaus

Answer 8

a german interdisciplinary school of fine and applied arts that brought together many leading modern architects, designers, and theatrical innovators

Question 9

dadaism

Answer 9

an artistic movement of the 1920s and 1930s that attacked all accepted standards of art and behavior and delighted in outrageous conduct

Question 10

“new woman”

Answer 10

somewhat stereotypical image of the modern and independent working women popular in the 1920s

Question 11

dawes plan

Answer 11

war reparations agreement that reduced germany’s yearly payments, made payment dependent on economic prosperity, and granted large US loans to promote recovery

Question 12

great deppression

Answer 12

a worldwide economic depression from 1929-1939 unique in its severity and duration and with slow and uneven recovery

Question 13

popular front

Answer 13

a short-lived new deal-inspired alliance in france led by leon blum that encouraged the union movement and launched a far-reaching program of social reform