Bereavement   |   C1   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: The formal, often clinical state of having lost someone important, particularly through death. Used in legal and official contexts such as 'bereavement leave.'

Example: The company policy allowed three days of bereavement leave after the death of an immediate family member.

Burden (to be burdened)   |   B2   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: To carry a heavy weight of guilt, responsibility, or grief that visibly affects one's behavior and outlook.

Example: Marlene was clearly burdened — guilt and loss pressed down on every decision she made.

Candid   |   B2   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Honest and direct, even about uncomfortable truths — saying what you really think without evasiveness.

Example: I appreciated her candid assessment of my work; it was hard to hear but exactly what I needed.

Civil   |   B1   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Maintaining basic social courtesy without genuine warmth — polite in a minimal, functional way.

Example: The two survivors were civil to each other, but no one would have called them friends.

Collapse   |   B1   |   Ep. 1 — When the World Ends, Language Survives

Definition: To fall down suddenly or fail completely, either physically (a building) or metaphorically (a system, relationship, or person's composure). Operates in both literal and figurative contexts.

Example: After years of mismanagement, the company's entire financial structure began to collapse.

Collocation   |   B2   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: A pair or group of words that naturally appear together in English, forming patterns that sound right to native speakers. Mastering collocations is key to sounding natural.

Example: Knowing that 'make' goes with 'a decision' but 'do' goes with 'a favor' is a matter of understanding collocation.

Complicit   |   C1   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: Involved in or sharing responsibility for wrongdoing, even without directly committing it yourself. Staying silent while harm is done can make someone complicit.

Example: By staying silent when they knew what was happening, the other executives became complicit in the fraud.

Concede   |   B2   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: To acknowledge that a point made against you is valid, without fully surrendering your overall position. A key technique in persuasive dialogue.

Example: She was willing to concede that the timeline was ambitious, while still insisting the project was achievable.

Concessive (construction)   |   C2   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: A grammatical structure that acknowledges a difficulty while asserting something despite it — the 'yes, and' of grammar. Uses constructions like 'even though… still' or 'despite…'

Example: 'Even though the world had ended, she still wanted to see a giraffe' is a classic concessive construction.

Consequentialism   |   C2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: The ethical view that the rightness of an action is determined by its consequences — specifically by whether it produces the greatest good for the greatest number.

Example: From a consequentialist perspective, sacrificing Ellie could be morally justified if it saved millions.

Contend   |   C1   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: To assert or maintain a position in an argument — stronger and more precise than 'think' or 'say.'

Example: She contends that the risk outweighs the reward, and she has data to support it.

Conversational redirection   |   C1   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: A technique used when a question feels too personal or dangerous — instead of refusing or lying, the skilled speaker turns the question back on the asker.

Example: Rather than answering directly, Joel redirected: 'What makes you ask that?'

Cordial   |   B2   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Politely warm but not intimate — a middle point between cold formality and genuine friendliness.

Example: Their relationship was cordial at best; they got along without ever really trusting each other.

Culpable   |   C1   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: Deserving moral blame for a fault or wrongdoing — not just legally guilty, but ethically responsible.

Example: The court found both the driver and the company culpable for the accident due to shared negligence.

Deadpan   |   B2   |   Ep. 5 — Ellie's Voice

Definition: Humor delivered without expression or any signal that a joke is coming, requiring the listener to do the work of recognizing it. A high-level comedic and linguistic skill.

Example: His deadpan delivery of the most outrageous observations made the whole room erupt in confused laughter.

Deontic modality   |   C2   |   Ep. 4 — The Grammar of Survival

Definition: The use of modal verbs to express obligation, duty, and permission — what you must, should, or are allowed to do. Distinct from epistemic modality, which concerns knowledge and certainty.

Example: 'You must submit your application before Friday' is deontic — it describes a requirement, not a belief.

Deontological ethics   |   C2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: The ethical tradition associated with Immanuel Kant, holding that some actions are inherently right or wrong regardless of their consequences. Duties must not be violated even for good outcomes.

Example: From a deontological perspective, using Ellie as a mere means — even to save millions — is morally wrong.

Discourse marker   |   C1   |   Ep. 5 — Ellie's Voice

Definition: A word or phrase (like 'however,' 'actually,' 'you know,' 'like') that helps organize speech, signal relationships between ideas, or manage the flow of conversation.

Example: The frequent use of 'like' as a discourse marker in casual speech often signals the speaker is processing their thoughts.

Duplicitous   |   C2   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Deliberately deceptive — presenting one version of yourself publicly while concealing another. Stronger and more specific than 'dishonest.' The noun is 'duplicity.'

Example: Only later did we realize how duplicitous his behavior had been from the very beginning of the partnership.

Elaboration (to elaborate)   |   B1   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: To develop a point in more detail. One of the most useful phrases in academic and conversational English is 'Could you elaborate on that?'

Example: She asked him to elaborate on his reasoning, because his conclusion seemed to skip several steps.

Ellipsis   |   C1   |   Ep. 6 — Joel's Silence

Definition: The grammatical omission of words that are understood from context. Communication through strategic compression — saying less than the full sentence because the rest is implied.

Example: 'I can't come to the meeting, but John can' — the words 'come to the meeting' are omitted via ellipsis.

Enduring   |   B2   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: Lasting over a long period; capable of persisting through difficulty. Not just surviving but remaining intact.

Example: Joel's protectiveness of Ellie was enduring — not softened by hardship, but hardened into something permanent.

Epistemic modality   |   C2   |   Ep. 4 — The Grammar of Survival

Definition: The use of modal verbs to express degrees of knowledge and certainty — drawing conclusions about what you believe to be true based on evidence.

Example: 'She must be immune' is epistemic — the speaker is concluding something based on available evidence, not issuing a command.

Ethical dilemma   |   B2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: A situation in which a choice must be made between two equally problematic options — often two things that conflict with different moral principles.

Example: The game's ending presents one of the most powerful ethical dilemmas in storytelling: save one person or potentially save millions.

Ethics   |   B2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: The branch of philosophy dealing with moral principles — what is right, what is wrong, what we ought to do, and why.

Example: Ethics as a discipline is old; Aristotle was writing about it 2,400 years ago.

Ethos   |   C1   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: One of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals — the speaker's credibility, authority, and trustworthiness. The audience's sense that you are worth listening to.

Example: Her years of field experience gave her enormous ethos when she spoke at the conference about reform.

Eudaimonia   |   C2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: Aristotle's term for the highest human good — usually translated as 'flourishing' or 'well-being.' The goal of virtue ethics: living an excellent, well-rounded human life.

Example: Joel, by the end of the game, is surviving but not flourishing — his eudaimonia has been hollowed out by grief.

Euphemism   |   B2   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: A mild or indirect word used in place of something harsh or uncomfortable. English has an elaborate system of euphemisms for death: 'passed away,' 'left us,' 'is no longer with us.'

Example: 'Passed away' is a common euphemism that people use to avoid saying the word 'died' directly.

Foreshadowing   |   B2   |   Ep. 8 — Write Like the World Is Watching

Definition: A narrative technique of planting hints or clues early in a story that point toward future events — seeds placed for the reader to find on a second encounter.

Example: The author's opening description of storm clouds was foreshadowing for the crisis that would unfold by chapter three.

A glimmer of hope   |   B2   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: An idiom for a small, faint, fragile indication that something might improve. A glimmer is an unsteady light — this metaphor captures hope at its most precarious.

Example: Even in the ruins of the city, there was a glimmer of hope in Ellie's immunity.

Grice's Cooperative Principle   |   C2   |   Ep. 6 — Joel's Silence

Definition: A framework from philosopher Paul Grice proposing that all communication is built on cooperation. His four maxims are Quality (be truthful), Quantity (be informative but not over-informative), Relation (be relevant), and Manner (be clear).

Example: Joel violates Grice's Quantity maxim constantly — saying far less than the situation seems to require.

Grief   |   B1   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: Deep sorrow caused by loss — particularly the death of someone loved. The umbrella word under which more specific states like anguish, bereavement, sorrow, and mourning live.

Example: His grief after losing the family business was profound, going far beyond mere financial worry.

Grief-stricken   |   B2   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: An adjective describing someone overwhelmed by grief — used to describe a person, a community, or an expression.

Example: The grief-stricken father stood at the roadside long after everyone else had moved on.

Guileless   |   C1   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Completely innocent and without any intention to deceive — an open book, free from cunning or slyness. The opposite of guile.

Example: Her guileless response to the trick question convinced the investigators she had nothing to hide.

Harrowing   |   C1   |   Ep. 1 — When the World Ends, Language Survives

Definition: Deeply distressing, agonizing, traumatic. From the Old English word for a farming tool that drags through soil and tears it up. When something is harrowing, it tears through you.

Example: The survivors described their harrowing escape from the flooded valley in painful detail.

Heartbreak   |   B1   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: Grief with intimacy — sorrow arising from a deep personal attachment that has been severed. Most commonly associated with romantic loss but applicable to any profound personal bond.

Example: Joel's loss of Sarah was heartbreak in its purest, most devastating form.

Hold out hope (to)   |   B2   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: An idiom meaning to continue hoping despite difficult circumstances — to refuse to abandon hope when things are at their worst.

Example: Even after years of silence, she held out hope that he would find his way back.

Hypothetical   |   B2   |   Ep. 4 — The Grammar of Survival

Definition: Involving an imagined or theoretical situation rather than an actual one — a 'what if' scenario used to explore possibilities.

Example: The team spent an hour on a hypothetical: what would they do if the main server went down permanently?

Idealistic   |   B2   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Driven by a vision of a better world or higher principles, sometimes to the point of overlooking practical constraints.

Example: Marlene was idealistic — everything she did was motivated by her vision of a world free from FEDRA's control.

Immoral   |   B1   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: Actively violating moral principles — not merely outside moral categories (amoral) but in direct opposition to them.

Example: Many players felt Joel's final choice was not just controversial but genuinely immoral.

Imperative   |   B1   |   Ep. 1 — When the World Ends, Language Survives

Definition: The grammatical mood used for commands — the subject is dropped and the verb moves to the front. 'Run.' 'Stay low.' 'Don't move.' Each is complete without a visible subject.

Example: In a crisis, the imperative form strips language to its essentials: 'Go. Now. Move.'

Implicature   |   C2   |   Ep. 6 — Joel's Silence

Definition: The implied meaning of a communication — what someone suggests or conveys without directly stating it. A concept from philosopher Paul Grice.

Example: When she said 'it's getting late,' the implicature was clear — she wanted the meeting to end.

In medias res   |   C1   |   Ep. 8 — Write Like the World Is Watching

Definition: A narrative technique — from the Latin for 'into the middle of things' — of starting a story mid-action rather than at the beginning, creating immediate engagement.

Example: The novel begins in medias res, dropping readers into a chase before explaining how it started.

Indelible   |   C1   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: Leaving marks that cannot be removed or forgotten — permanent and deeply impactful.

Example: The summer they spent together left an indelible impression that neither of them could quite explain.

Inference   |   B2   |   Eps. 6 & 10 — Joel's Silence / Hope

Definition: A conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning, rather than from something directly stated. Advanced reading and listening comprehension relies heavily on inference.

Example: From the muddy boots by the door, she made the inference that he had been in the garden earlier.

Integration   |   C1   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: In the context of grief and post-traumatic growth, the process of incorporating a difficult experience into your broader identity rather than being defined or destroyed by it.

Example: Therapy helped her reach a stage of integration — the loss became part of her story, not the whole of it.

Irony   |   B2   |   Ep. 5 — Ellie's Voice

Definition: Saying or presenting the opposite of what is literally meant, or a situation where what happens is opposite to what was expected. Ellie uses situational irony to process horror through humor.

Example: The irony of a fire station burning down wasn't lost on anyone covering the story.

Justify (to)   |   B2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: To show or prove that something is right or reasonable — to make a reasoned moral case for an action or position.

Example: Can we justify violence in self-defense? The answer depends on which ethical framework you apply.

Logos   |   C1   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: One of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals — logical appeal: the reasoning, evidence, and coherent structure of an argument.

Example: While the speech was emotionally moving, it lacked logos — there were no statistics or logical structure to support the claims.

Lucid   |   B2   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: Expressed clearly and easy to understand; also describes a state of mental clarity where something previously foggy suddenly becomes plain.

Example: A lucid moment is when you understand something you'd been circling for days.

Meaning-making   |   C1   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: The psychological process of searching for significance or purpose in what has happened — finding a narrative that makes a difficult experience comprehensible.

Example: After the disaster, the community turned to meaning-making — asking not just what happened but why it mattered.

Mitigating (factors)   |   C1   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: Reducing the severity or seriousness of something — particularly factors that explain (though don't excuse) wrongdoing. Used in legal and moral contexts.

Example: The judge considered the defendant's difficult childhood as a mitigating factor in determining the sentence.

Modal verb   |   B1   |   Ep. 4 — The Grammar of Survival

Definition: An auxiliary verb that modifies the main verb to express possibility, necessity, permission, or ability. The main modals are: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would.

Example: The use of 'should' versus 'must' completely changes how strong an obligation sounds.

Moral   |   B1   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: As an adjective: concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior. As a noun: the lesson or ethical point of a story. As a plural noun: a person's moral principles.

Example: The game raises moral questions that players continue to argue about years later.

Moral relativism   |   C2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: The view that moral judgments are not universally true or false but relative to the standards of a particular culture, society, or individual. Contrasted with moral realism.

Example: A moral relativist would say there is no objective answer to whether Joel did the right thing — it depends on your framework.

Mourning   |   B2   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: The active process of grieving — the rituals, behaviors, and emotional work of processing loss. Different cultures have very different practices of mourning.

Example: To be in mourning is to be actively engaged in the work of processing what has been lost.

Narrative arc   |   B2   |   Ep. 8 — Write Like the World Is Watching

Definition: The overarching shape of a story: exposition (setup), rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Understanding this structure helps both reading analysis and writing construction.

Example: Even short personal essays benefit from following a narrative arc — building toward a moment of realization.

Pathos   |   C1   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: One of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals — emotional appeal: connecting your argument to what the listener values, fears, or loves. Honest emotional connection is not manipulation.

Example: The documentary relied heavily on pathos, showing individual stories of suffering to drive its broader argument.

Persevere (to)   |   B2   |   Ep. 1 — When the World Ends, Language Survives

Definition: To continue in a course of action despite difficulty, delay, or obstacles — by deliberate choice. Stronger than 'continue,' more deliberate than 'survive.' Implies agency.

Example: Despite the rejection, she chose to persevere with her application until she finally received an answer.

Pin your hopes on (to)   |   B2   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: An idiom meaning to rely on one particular thing as your main source of hope — an image of something fragile attached to an uncertain surface, both attached and precarious.

Example: The whole community had pinned its hopes on Ellie's immunity being the key to a cure.

Point of view (POV)   |   B1   |   Ep. 8 — Write Like the World Is Watching

Definition: The perspective from which a story is told. First person (I), second person (you), third person limited (he/she with access to one character's inner world), or third person omniscient (access to all characters).

Example: The choice of point of view shapes everything the reader knows, feels, and can access.

Post-traumatic growth   |   C1   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: The phenomenon whereby some people who experience significant trauma emerge from it changed for the better in ways they could not have predicted. Distinct from resilience — not bouncing back but growing through.

Example: By the end of the game, Ellie shows signs of post-traumatic growth — she is harder but also more fully herself.

Pragmatic (character trait)   |   B2   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Focused on what works in reality rather than what's ideal in theory. Practical and results-oriented rather than driven by abstract principles.

Example: Rather than getting caught up in idealism, the manager took a pragmatic approach to solving the conflict.

Pragmatic (linguistics)   |   C1   |   Eps. 2 & 6 — Trust Nobody / Joel's Silence

Definition: Related to the actual use of language in real-world contexts — what communication achieves beyond its literal meaning. Understanding pragmatic meaning requires cultural and situational knowledge.

Example: Understanding 'can you pass the salt?' as a request rather than a yes/no question requires pragmatic competence.

Pun / Wordplay   |   B2   |   Ep. 5 — Ellie's Voice

Definition: A pun exploits the double meaning of a word or the similarity between two words for humorous effect. Requires intimate knowledge of vocabulary — you must know two meanings simultaneously.

Example: Ellie's joke book is full of puns — the lowest form of humor and simultaneously the most linguistically demanding.

Qualify a statement (to)   |   B2   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: To add conditions or limitations to a statement, making it more accurate and nuanced. Qualification prevents overstatement and demonstrates careful thinking.

Example: 'This approach works well in most cases, though not in situations involving X' is a well-qualified claim.

Quarantine   |   B2   |   Ep. 1 — When the World Ends, Language Survives

Definition: To isolate someone or something to prevent the spread of disease. From the Italian 'quarantina' — forty days, historically the period of isolation for ships during plague outbreaks.

Example: Health officials placed the entire neighborhood under quarantine after the outbreak was detected.

Rebuttal   |   B2   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: A formal counter-argument that directly responds to and challenges an opposing view with evidence or reasoning.

Example: His rebuttal was so precise that it dismantled the main claims the other team had spent twenty minutes building.

Register   |   B2   |   Ep. 5 — Ellie's Voice

Definition: The level and style of formality in language use, determined by context, relationship, and purpose. Formal register for professional and academic settings; informal register for everyday conversation.

Example: Switching from casual conversation to a job interview requires adjusting your language register significantly.

Resilience   |   B2   |   Ep. 1 — When the World Ends, Language Survives

Definition: The capacity to recover from difficulties, adapt, and persist. Not a hashtag or motivational poster — the scarred, complicated, unglamorous ability to keep going when everything says stop.

Example: Her remarkable resilience after losing everything in the fire inspired everyone who knew her story.

Resolute   |   C1   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Firmly determined and unwilling to change your mind, especially when circumstances are difficult. Stronger than 'determined' — implies a fixed, unshakeable purpose.

Example: Despite intense pressure from the board, the director remained resolute in her decision to refuse the merger.

Reticent   |   C1   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Reluctant to talk about your thoughts or feelings — reserved, not readily giving information. Joel is almost pathologically reticent: he speaks in short sentences, deflects, and redirects.

Example: The witness was reticent during questioning, giving only the minimum information required.

Rhetoric / Rhetorical   |   C1   |   Ep. 9 — Speaking Under Pressure

Definition: The art of using language persuasively and effectively. Rhetorical does not mean dishonest — it means purposefully crafted to achieve a communicative goal.

Example: A rhetorical question is one where the question itself makes the point, and no answer is expected.

Sarcasm   |   B1   |   Ep. 5 — Ellie's Voice

Definition: Saying the opposite of what you mean for ironic or humorous effect. Relies on context, relationship, and intonation to communicate the inversion.

Example: When Ellie says 'Oh yes, this is going perfectly,' after a catastrophe, the sarcasm is unmistakable.

Scarcity   |   B2   |   Ep. 1 — When the World Ends, Language Survives

Definition: A lack of something — a shortage that creates pressure, competition, and forces difficult choices. The opposite is abundance. Central concept in economics, history, and post-apocalyptic fiction.

Example: The scarcity of clean water in the drought-stricken region forced families to walk miles each day.

Sensory detail   |   B1   |   Ep. 8 — Write Like the World Is Watching

Definition: Descriptive writing that engages the five senses — sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. A scene described through three senses is far richer than one described only visually.

Example: Without sensory detail, the reader can't picture the setting or feel they are truly there.

Show, don't tell   |   B2   |   Ep. 8 — Write Like the World Is Watching

Definition: A foundational writing principle: instead of naming an emotion or quality, create the conditions under which the reader feels or perceives it through specific, concrete detail.

Example: Instead of saying 'she was grief-stricken,' the game shows us the photograph he keeps and the way he looks at it when no one is watching.

Slang   |   B1   |   Ep. 5 — Ellie's Voice

Definition: Informal vocabulary that is often temporary and group-specific. Signals membership and belonging — but should be used carefully in a second language, with passive understanding before active use.

Example: Ellie's slang reflects a teenager who has grown up entirely in a post-collapse world and has never known anything else.

Sorrow   |   B2   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: A quieter, more diffuse form of grief — less acute than anguish, more inward. Can attach to losses that aren't deaths: a missed opportunity, a fractured friendship, a world that didn't turn out as hoped.

Example: Sorrow is what sits in the corners of a quiet afternoon when there is nothing left to do but feel the absence.

Specificity   |   B2   |   Ep. 8 — Write Like the World Is Watching

Definition: The quality of being precise and concrete — choosing particular, exact details rather than vague generalities. Specificity is the difference between writing that describes and writing that makes you feel.

Example: The report lacked specificity — full of general claims but no concrete data or examples to support them.

Subtext   |   C1   |   Ep. 6 — Joel's Silence

Definition: The implicit content beneath the surface of communication — what is really happening beneath the words. Understanding subtext requires reading between the lines.

Example: The apparently polite conversation was loaded with subtext — both speakers knew exactly what was not being said.

Survivor's guilt   |   C1   |   Ep. 3 — Grief Is Not a Stage

Definition: The anguishing psychological experience of feeling responsible for surviving when others did not — the painful question of 'why me?' More common in everyday life than is often acknowledged.

Example: Many veterans experience survivor's guilt that makes it difficult to enjoy their own lives after returning home.

Transcendent   |   C1   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: Exceeding ordinary limits — surpassing the expected boundaries of a medium or experience and touching something beyond itself.

Example: The final movement of the symphony was transcendent, reducing several audience members to tears without warning.

Transformation   |   B2   |   Ep. 10 — Hope at the End of the World

Definition: A deep, fundamental change in nature or character — not just recovery but genuine alteration of who someone is. In the context of grief, transformation is distinct from merely returning to a previous state.

Example: Joel's transformation across the game is not improvement — it is the permanent alteration of a man by love and loss.

Transparent / Forthcoming   |   B2   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Describing someone who is open, easy to read, and readily shares information. The opposite of guarded or reticent. Forthcoming implies a willingness to volunteer information without being asked.

Example: She was refreshingly transparent about her doubts — a quality that made others trust her more, not less.

Unsentimental   |   C1   |   Ep. 2 — Trust Nobody — Until You Have To

Definition: Not governed by emotion or sentiment in decision-making. Not necessarily cold — but unwilling to allow feeling to cloud judgment. A precise and important distinction from 'cold.'

Example: Tess was unsentimental — she cared deeply, but she never let caring prevent her from making the hard call.

Utilitarian / Utilitarianism   |   C1   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: The ethical philosophy that the right action is the one that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. A form of consequentialism — judging actions by their outcomes.

Example: From a utilitarian standpoint, the committee's painful choice was justified by the number of lives it saved.

Virtue ethics   |   C2   |   Ep. 7 — Moral Vocabulary

Definition: The ethical tradition — associated with Aristotle — that focuses on what kind of person one should be, rather than what rules to follow or what consequences to produce. Asks: what would a good person do?

Example: Rather than asking 'is this legal?', virtue ethics asks 'is this what a person of excellent character would do?'