*Some of these glossary definitions have been adapted and reproduced by permission of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Many computer and Web-related definitions have been contributed by Jason Snart, College of DuPage.

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mentally active Describes a person who takes initiative and actively uses intelligence to confront problems and meet challenges, instead of responding passively to events.

metaphor An implied comparison between basically dissimilar things made for the purpose of illuminating our understanding of the things being compared.

mindful Making use of responsive, perceptive faculties, thus avoiding rigid, reflexive behavior in favor of a more improvisational and intuitive response to life.

mind map A visual presentation of the ways concepts can be related to one another.

misidentification of the cause An error that occurs in causal situations when identification of the cause and the effect are unclear.

modus ponens “Affirming the antecedent”; a valid deductive form commonly used in logical thinking.

modus tollens “Denying the consequence”; a commonly used valid deductive form.

moral Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character.

moral agnosticism A theory of morality that holds there is no way to determine clearly what is right or wrong in moral situations.