allege
to make a claim without providing definitive proof
bourgeois
frequently confused with what we understand as the "middle class," Marx's "bourgeois" is better understood as a synonym for a characteristic "capitalist" ideology or society, or a member of the capitalist class: those who possess capital and make their money not by laboring but by commanding the labor of others.
charlatanry
speaking or behaving as though you possess special knowledge or skills when you don't
chimera
Literally, a fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. Often used by the authors to refer to the mystical, imaginary creations of the thinkers they criticize
decomposition
decay
dogma
a rigid principle or set of principles set up by an authority as absolutely true, above all criticism and doubt, inflexible in the face of new knowledge or circumstances
elucidate
make something clear, explain
feudal
the economic system pre-dating the development of capitalism, characterized by a landowning nobility ruling over serfs who were, essentially, their property, as well as by the guild system in crafting
fictitious
not real or true, being imaginary or having been fabricated
ideology
a system of ideas and ideals, esp. one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy
kernel
The core, essential, or innermost part of; in the usage in The German Ideology, specifically of a thought, critique, or ideology.
mystification
presenting something as supernatural, unnecessarily obscure, often while attempting or pretending to explain it
parochial
literally, of or relating to a church parish, often used to connote a narrow-minded or limited worldview
patriarchal
of, relating to, or characteristic of a system of society or government controlled by men in which the basic social organization revolves around the male-dominated family and the system of patrimony (the passage of power and property from fathers to sons)
peasantry
small, non-landowning farmer, serf; the class composed of these individuals
phantom
a ghost or other unreal figure; a figment of the imagination
premise
a previous statement or proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion
profess
to put forth publicly a set of ideas or principles, or to assert one's commitment to or belief in those principles, though the word is frequently used to imply that the "professor" is being deceitful
rapidity
quickness
ruthless
unrestrained, having or showing no pity or compassion for others
staunch
unwavering, reliable; most pertinently, in this text, firmly committed to a particular cause, opinion, or analysis
sublime
of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe
subsistence
the action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself at a minimum level
valiant
possessing or showing courage or determination, often deployed by Marx in an ironic, mock-heroic sense
yoke
a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull, often used by Marx as a metaphor for the oppression by the ruling classes of the ruled
zeal
great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective
teleology
From the Greek telos, meaning ultimate object or goal: a mode of thought or inquiry which, often implicitly, takes historical events and developments as fulfilling a "purpose," and seeks to understand them in those terms.
