Solidarism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A social philosophy emphasizing shared responsibility and cooperation between classes and groups ; a political view holding that people's duties to the community take precedence over their own claims
2. A doctrine of social unity that urges mutual support among members of society ; a theory in which obligations owed to the collective outweigh individual rights
3. An ideology promoting solidarity and cooperative bonds across social classes ; a stance placing the duties of citizens to the wider society ahead of personal interests

Etymology: Solidarism is a blend of "solidarity" and the suffix "-ism," so its structure is plain: it names a doctrine or system built around solidarity, the mutual dependence and shared responsibility of people within a society. The suffix does the familiar work of turning a quality into a belief or movement, as with "socialism" or "liberalism," while "solidarity" supplies the core idea of collective unity. Blends like this are typically coined deliberately, when a writer or movement needs a name for a concept that existing words do not quite cover.

Synonyms: solidarity, collectivism, mutualism

Antonyms: individualism, egoism