Idiotism

Idiotism is

• a language peculiarity in linguistics, cf. idiom
• in psychiatry an outdated synonym for the equally outdated technical term “idiocy” or an effect of “idiocy”, see mental handicap
• In the Communist Manifesto Marx writes: “The bourgeoisie has subjected the country to the rule of the city. It has created enormous cities, it has increased the number of the urban population to a great extent compared to the rural one, and thus wrested a significant part of the population from the idiotism of rural life. "

The ancient Greek word "idios" denoted private people who did not take part in public life and lived only in relation to themselves and their small living environment. The derogatory shift in meaning towards stupid etc. did not take place until much later.

This is a disambiguation page for differentiating between several terms identified with the same word.