Modus vivendi is a Latin phrase that means "mode of living" or "way of life". It often is used to mean an arrangement or agreement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace. In science, it is used to describe lifestyles.[1]
Modus means "mode", "way", "method", or "manner". Vivendi means "of living". The phrase is often used to describe informal and temporary arrangements in political affairs. For example, if two sides reach a modus vivendi regarding disputed territories, despite political, historical or cultural incompatibilities, an accommodation of their respective differences is established for the sake of contingency.
In diplomacy, a modus vivendi is an instrument for establishing an international accord of a temporary or provisional nature, intended to be replaced by a more substantial and thorough agreement, such as a treaty.[2] Armistices and instruments of surrender are intended to achieve a modus vivendi.
Examples
In Season 1, Episode 25, of Star Trek: The Original Series, entitled "The Devil in the Dark", Captain James T. Kirk used the term to describe a possible relationship between miners on a Federation planet and a rock tunneling indigenous species called 'The Horta'. He said, "Seems to me we could make an agreement, reach a modus vivendi. They tunnel, you collect and process, and your processing operation would be a thousand times more profitable."[3]
The term often refers to Anglo-French relations from the 1815 end of the Napoleonic Wars to the 1904 Entente Cordiale.
See also
- Latin phrases
- Modus operandi – Habits of working
- Modus ponens – Rule of logical inference
- Modus tollens – Rule of logical inference
References
- ^ Angus Stevenson (19 August 2010). Oxford Dictionary of English. OUP Oxford. pp. 1139–. ISBN 978-0-19-957112-3.
- ^ "United Nations Treaty Collection: Definitions". Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ^ "NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt". NBC. November 21, 2016.