I'm not sure if this belongs here or in General Reference or somewhere else altogether, so mods, feel free to move it if necessary.

The prefix neo- is often placed in front of words to indicated that it is a "new" version of something (neo-Nazis, neo-imperialism, neo-liberalism).

I have two questions about this:

1) When used, it always seems to have a negative connotation - I've never heard of anyone speak of neo-democracy or neo-freedom, for example. Why is that?

2) Usually, it indicates something that has taken on a new form. Neo-imperialism is different from the old imperialism, for example. So why is it currently being applied to conservatives? The term "neo-cons" comes up often (and is meant to sound negative, of course). Is the neo simply used because it does have that negative connotation, or is there really something that leftists believe is significantly "new" about conservatism?

Thanks!

I'm not sure that it carries a negative connotation in all cases. For example, the term neo-Classical to refer to the 18th century return to the aesthetic of Antiquity and the Renaissance, is simply descriptive.

Good point, Juan. So that seems to throw out my "it just sounds negative" theory about the word "Neo-cons." Why exactly is the "neo" used there?

Try this

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Neo-conservative

Neo- is no more than Greek neos new, applied as a prefix. So we have neologism, neophyte for new word, new convert and so on.

Putting the hyphen in seems to be mostly reserved for matters seen as bad in their new form. This may be no more than evidence of the newness of the word so formed; hyphens tend to disappear over time ; and that writers now like to use neo- in a negative context.Neo- may mean new in the sense of revived , as in neo-classical, so it lends itself to being stuck on to words like fascism or colonialism to make an insult. The meaning then is that whatever it is is [fascism] revived, come back to life, whatever it is being called by its supporters.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sarai:
Good point, Juan. So that seems to throw out my "it just sounds negative" theory about the word "Neo-cons." Why exactly is the "neo" used there?

---

It's being used to distinguish between them and the traditional cons that one is accustomed to meet in prison :-)

neo-conservatives are not conservative in any sense that a traditional American conservative would understand. Consequently a different term was needed than "Conservative". I believe they picked neo-conservative for themselves, hoping to cash in on the respect people here have had for real conservatives.

Alan Moore

quote:

---

Originally posted by AMoore:
neo-conservatives are not conservative in any sense that a traditional American conservative would understand. Consequently a different term was needed than "Conservative". I believe they picked neo-conservative for themselves, hoping to cash in on the respect people here have had for real conservatives.

Alan Moore

---

I see what you mean - although I highly doubt it was coined by Conservatives. I've never heard any conservative use the word "neo-cons." In my experience, it is always used by liberals who are of the "Bush is Hitler" ilk.

Darwinism v. Neodarwinism. Neodarwinism is Darwinism which takes into account genetics, and so offers a better theory.

'Neo' in neo-con may suggest conservatives who take into account the end of the Cold War, and so offer us PNAC. I believe their name for themselves is Vulcans.