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Pensée Unique

English translation: hegemonic thought

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Pensée Unique
English translation:hegemonic thought
Entered by: :::::::::: (X)

15:23 Jan 11, 2009
French to English translations [PRO]
Science - Meteorology
French term or phrase: Pensée Unique
Les média, les écologistes et les politiques tendent à accréditer l'idée que l'affaire est entendue : Le réchauffement global proviendrait de l'effet de serre engendré par le CO2 que nous envoyons à profusion dans l'atmosphère, disent-ils... Mais au fait, sur quelles "certitudes" scientifiques reposent ces affirmations ?

Pour vous aider à vous forger votre propre opinion qui n'est pas nécessairement celle de la Pensée Unique , l'auteur vous prend par la main et vous explique aussi simplement que possible les forces et les faiblesses des théories du réchauffement climatique en présence. Car, il n'y en pas qu'une, loin de là ! Et, au moins, une des autres théories contredit gravement la Pensée Unique... Vous trouverez aussi ici des informations sur les articles scientifiques les plus récents, dont beaucoup mettent en défaut le fameux modèle d'effet de serre et constamment tenus à jour.
:::::::::: (X)
Iraq
Local time: 21:39
hegemonic thought
Explanation:
Hello Dr. Jones,

I see what you mean now: none of the answers really fitted (including my first one). I agree that this is more on the lines of what you're after.

I'm glad to have helped you.

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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2009-01-12 19:44:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hegemonic
Selected response from:

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 15:39
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2single thought / single vision of the world
Tarik Boussetta
4 +2Received Opinion
Guy Bray
5Original Theory
Sara Rodriguez
5the "one-track" mindset
MatthewLaSon
4one-size-fits-all thinking
sueaberwoman
4hegemonic thought
MatthewLaSon
3single view
ormiston
3Unanimous thinking / Pensée Unique
Lidia Saragaço
3mainstream opinion / Pensée Unique
Lingua 5B
3conventional thought
Craig Macdonald
3prevailing consensus
David Sirett
3accepted wisdom
ormiston
Summary of reference entries provided
Enza Longo
Single Thought
Claire Chapman

  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
single view


Explanation:
I toyed with grassroots opinion, popular (mis) conception but found this which is closer. Doubt it needs capitals in English.
FULL SENATE REPORT: U.S. Senate Report: Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007
December 20, 2007
This report is in the spirit of enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot who reportedly said, "Skepticism is the first step towards truth."
[Disclaimer: The following scientists named in this report have expressed a range of views from skepticism to outright rejection of predictions of catastrophic man-made global warming. As in all science, there is no lock step single view.]


ormiston
Local time: 21:39
Native speaker of: English
Notes to answerer
Asker: have a problem with all these answers (btw thanks to all); this is that the term appears to be uniquely French in as much as it refers, indeed to a 'prevaling concensus' but this concensus is US-Anglo-Saxon driven; it also includes the notion of globalisation , and this is why none of the responses seem to satisfy me completely

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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Original Theory


Explanation:
In this case the speaker is pondering a scientific test for a given hypothesis. Therefore, I would determine this to be considered and called a theory in this context. He seems to be attempting to determine if this should be the only theory accepted for this scenario.

Ces phrases parle de quelqu'un qui est en tren de justifier le théorie que "Le réchauffement global proviendrait de l'effet de serre engendré par le CO2 que nous envoyons à profusion dans l'atmosphère."


Sara Rodriguez
United States
Local time: 14:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
Notes to answerer
Asker: have a problem with all these answers (btw thanks to all); this is that the term appears to be uniquely French in as much as it refers, indeed to a 'prevaling concensus' but this concensus is US-Anglo-Saxon driven; it also includes the notion of globalisation , and this is why none of the responses seem to satisfy me completely

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24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
single thought / single vision of the world


Explanation:
single thought / single vision of the world

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Note added at 26 mins (2009-01-11 15:49:12 GMT)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensée_unique

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-01-11 16:24:36 GMT)
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Still translators are choosers not beggars! We choose what suits;)
thx anyway

Tarik Boussetta
Local time: 20:39
Native speaker of: Arabic
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Tarik but I don't think Wikipedia is a serious reference for translators

Asker: have a problem with all these answers (btw thanks to all); this is that the term appears to be uniquely French in as much as it refers, indeed to a 'prevaling concensus' but this concensus is US-Anglo-Saxon driven; it also includes the notion of globalisation , and this is why none of the responses seem to satisfy me completely


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Claire Chapman: single thought
3 hrs
  -> Thx Claire ;)
agree  MatthewLaSon: The idea is exactly that. There are others way to translate this. Perhaps "one-track" mindset. By the way, there is NOTHING wrong with using wikipedia as a reference. Sometimes it gives the clearest explanations on the Web. It all depends!
11 hrs
  -> Thx dear friend;)
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Received Opinion


Explanation:
Common, widely-used expression

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-01-11 17:05:58 GMT)
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Prevailing theory, Ruling theory

Guy Bray
United States
Local time: 12:39
Native speaker of: English
Notes to answerer
Asker: I have a problem with all these answers (btw thanks to all); this is that the term appears to be uniquely French in as much as it refers, indeed to a 'prevaling concensus' but this concensus is US-Anglo-Saxon driven; it also includes the notion of globalisation , and this is why none of the responses seem to satisfy me completely


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Andrew Mason: With just the right dose of disdain............;
1 hr
agree  Bourth (X): I'd say "received wisdom" but it's the same notion.
14 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
one-size-fits-all thinking


Explanation:
Another solution I rather like.

References:

The world is complex - deal with it!
An all too common belief in the academic world, as well as in policy, is to see every new idea as the ultimate cure - the panacea. We need to reject this*** “one-size fits all thinking” ***and deal with the inherent complexity and uncertainty of nature and societies, says political scientist Elinor Ostrom.
http://www.albaeco.com/sdu/32/htm/main.htm

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL
CRITICS PROMOTE AN ALTERNATIVE VISION OF GLOBAL TRADE
www.canadians.org/publications/CP/2005/spring/CP_summer_05_... -

This government scheme is an obvious administrative & logistical nightmare and will be incredibly complex in operation - to the point of being unworkable. Nothing changes there then. Huge numbers of people have no fire on which to burn rubbish nor a garden in which to compost. It is an example of insane PC ***one-size-fits-all thinking ***to make every citizen a rubbish sorter - when we can do it so much better at large collection points to which councils take unsorted rubbish. The issue too is about over-packaged items, mainly foodstuffs.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3640162/The-trouble-with-...

Preventing Strategic Gridlock
"One-Size-Fits-All Thinking: The tendency to think one solution will meet everyone's needs."
www.strategyletter.com/CD1104/book_review.php


sueaberwoman
Local time: 21:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Unanimous thinking / Pensée Unique


Explanation:

see this example: Unanimous thinking—a more accurate translation of the renowned pensée unique would be ‘the only thinking’—is not, of course, confined to France.
in
http://www.newleftreview.org/?search=1&topbarsearch=pensée

I think the expression "pensée unique" implies concensus or concensual thinking so "unanimous thinking" would be an acceptable translation.

Personally I would use the original expression.

see these examples:

We show that this induces the editors of the newspapers to moderate the political message they display to their readers in order to make their newspaper more attractive as a media support for the advertisers, fostering thereby the ascent of the "Pensee Unique". in
http://ideas.repec.org/p/fth/louvco/2000-8.html

As Jonathan points out, Le Pen’s vote tends to be understated in opinion polls, presumably because expressions of support are out of kilter with ‘la pensee unique’. Disturbingly, Le Pen has greater overt support now than at the equivalent stage of the 2002 campaign. A reported 42% of voters are undecided.
in
http://allthemorereason.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/la-pensee-u...





Lidia Saragaço
Portugal
Local time: 20:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mainstream opinion / Pensée Unique


Explanation:

Leaving the original French phrase in an English text is also a current trend in journalistic and academic writing style.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensée_unique

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Note added at 2 hrs (2009-01-11 17:57:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Just to add that Pensée Unique is a proper name of a social concept and therefore it is often used in original ( Pensée Unique ). It is presumed that the ideas of this concept are known to respective academic readers.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2009-01-11 20:54:29 GMT)
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Aussi : mainstream thinking

Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 21:39
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in CroatianCroatian
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
conventional thought


Explanation:
another possibility

Craig Macdonald
United States
Local time: 14:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: have a problem with all these answers (btw thanks to all); this is that the term appears to be uniquely French in as much as it refers, indeed to a 'prevaling concensus' but this concensus is US-Anglo-Saxon driven; it also includes the notion of globalisation , and this is why none of the responses seem to satisfy me completely

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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
the "one-track" mindset


Explanation:
Hello,

They mean that there is this pervasive one-track mind with regard to this issue.

I believe that "pensée" is capitalized in order to show it as a trend (like a philosophical term). I'm not sure I'd capitalize anything in English, but I might put "one-track" in quotations.

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 15:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: have a problem with all these answers (btw thanks to all); this is that the term appears to be uniquely French in as much as it refers, indeed to a 'prevaling concensus' but this concensus is US-Anglo-Saxon driven; it also includes the notion of globalisation , and this is why none of the responses seem to satisfy me completely

Asker: Can you put in 'hegemonic thought ' as an answer Matthew; I think you've found the right one

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1 day 2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
prevailing consensus


Explanation:
or ruling consensus or dominant consensus

David Sirett
Local time: 21:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: have a problem with all these answers (btw thanks to all); this is that the term appears to be uniquely French in as much as it refers, indeed to a 'prevaling concensus' but this concensus is US-Anglo-Saxon driven; it also includes the notion of globalisation , and this is why none of the responses seem to satisfy me completely

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1 day 4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
hegemonic thought


Explanation:
Hello Dr. Jones,

I see what you mean now: none of the answers really fitted (including my first one). I agree that this is more on the lines of what you're after.

I'm glad to have helped you.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2009-01-12 19:44:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hegemonic

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 15:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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2 days 4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
accepted wisdom


Explanation:
in light of your reservations, this might convey the slant you seek to the nostion of CONSENSUS
interesting debate here;

Patterico’s Pontifications » Accepted WisdomFiled under: Accepted Wisdom, Environment — Justin Levine @ 5:10 pm. [posted by Justin Levine]. In case you still haven’t heard the news, global warming ...
patterico.com/category/accepted-wisdom/ - 86k - Cached - Similar pages
More results from patterico.com »

ormiston
Local time: 21:39
Native speaker of: English
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Reference comments


13 mins
Reference

Reference information:
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french_to_english/journalism/14788...

You may find this helpful.

Enza Longo
Canada
Native speaker of: English
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thanks Enza

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4 hrs
Reference: Single Thought

Reference information:
It comes as no surprise that the French state nobility has streamlined public opinion over the years into an ideology that strengthens its own legitimacy. The French still love to debate, of course. And they may at times rebel against the state ideology, routinely referred to as **"la pensée unique" (the "single thought")**. But some dogmas are just beyond discussion, and some questions are off limits. Such is the case with anti-Americanism, a very convenient tool that brings together right-wing nationalists, in the Gaullist or Vichy tradition, with
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/00...

Only the development of open, inclusive ways of thought that acknowledge the diverse worldviews of peoples, their multiple forms of expression, of knowledge, of creative and artistic production, will lead to the necessary break from single thought (pensée unique), that is imposed through the supremacy of the values of a dominant minority assuming them as universal.
http://alainet.org/publica/cmrx/en/pluralistic.html

The single thought (La pensée unique : in French)
It is the one which does not integrate the difference of sexes, the one which integrates only a purely imaginary version of it. It doesn't deal with Symbolic system. It gives formulas like: "A dog is a dog" or "A" ="A". It means identification with the others.
http://www.lituraterre.org/Illiteracy-Another_approach_of_il...

We will reflect upon the wider reaching effects on both source and target languages and cultures of translation becoming simply part of the process of localization of "la pensée unique" (single thought).
http://www.iti-conference.org.uk/itic21/sessions/invasion_of...

Claire Chapman
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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