Amour-propre is self-esteem or a sense of self-worth. Enlightenment thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau used this term to emphasize individual identity. Fukuyama uses this term to emphasize the different variations of the human need for recognition.

The “beast with red cheeks” (171) is a concept created by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche used to describe a value-focused human being.

Capitalism is an economic system that is often the counterpart of the ideology of Liberalism and the political system of democracy. Under capitalism, there is private ownership of business and property. Critics argue that capitalism is not just an economic system but one of social relations. These unequal relations between the producers and the business owners (Capital) are an integral part of this system.