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Scientology terminology consists of a complex assortment of jargon used by Scientologists in conjunction with the practice of Scientology and in their everyday lives.
L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology, created a large number of jargon terms to refer to various concepts in Scientology and the related practice of Dianetics. By the time he died in 1986, he had devised a dense and – to outsiders – impenetrable thicket of language.
Hubbard's Scientology terminology consists of two types of term:
- Existing English terms given a new Scientology meaning. For instance, the word valence has various existing meanings in chemistry, linguistics, psychology and mathematics, generally referring to the capacity or value of something. Hubbard redefines it to mean "an identity complete with bank mass or mental image picture mass of somebody other than the identity selected by oneself."
- Neologisms. Hubbard invented many wholly new terms, such as thetan to refer to his conception of a spiritual being.
Scientology terminology is defined in the Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary (ISBN 0884040372) and Modern Management Technology Defined (ISBN 0884040402). The latter is known colloquially within Scientology as the "Admin Dictionary". Between them, the two volumes reportedly define over 3,000 Scientology terms in over 1,100 pages of definitions.
Objectives and usage
Hubbard explained the purpose of creating new terms in the foreword to the Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary:
- ''Philosophy has always had the liability of gathering to itself a great many new words and labels. The reason for this is that the philosopher finds phenomena in the physical universe or in the mind or humanities which have not hitherto been observed or properly identified. Each one of these tends to require a new word for its description. In actual fact this cycle of new observations requiring new labels is probably the growth of language itself. Language is obviously the product of unsung observers who then popularized a word to describe what had been observed.
- The system which has been followed in Dianetics and Scientology in labeling phenomena or observed things was originally to make verbs into nouns or vice versa. The practice of developing new nomenclature was actually held to a minimum. However, it was found that many old words in the field of philosophy, when used, conveyed to people an entirely new idea. The exactness of Dianetics and Scientology required a more precise approach. This approach was achieved by special naming with an eye to minimal confusion with already supposed or known phenomena.''
His terminology is used ubiquitously within Scientology; it is literally true to say that Scientology is incomprehensible without an understanding of its associated terminology. Scientologists will study hard to learn all this terminology, since one of Hubbard's teachings is that The only reason a person gives up on a study or becomes confused or unable to learn is because he or she has gone past a word that was not understood. It is also used extensively in offshoots of Scientology, such as the Narconon drug rehabilitation program or the Applied Scholastics education program. Scientologists often use Scientology terminology in non-Scientology contexts as well, such as in social or office situations.
Criticism
Some critics of Scientology assert that this use of loaded language is used as a manipulation tool and that Hubbard's teaching that inability to learn is caused by going past words you don't understand is designed to keep students of Scientology from questioning the workability of the Scientology teachings and instead think it must be their own fault if they don't achieve the expected wins.
External links
"Scientology terminology"