The Bourgeoisie, as defined by Marx and Engels, is the class of capitalists that owns the majority of wealth as well as the means of production. In Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, this term is interchangeable with “middle class,” though this equivalence changed in later Marxist works.

Capitalism is an economic and political system which is characterized by private ownership of trade and industry, which is operated for profit.

Cartesianism is a philosophical and scientific system based on the works of French philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650). Cartesian philosophy interrogates reality through deductive reasoning and observation, emphasizing sensory experience as the source of all knowledge in the world.