People used to test programs on paper ... Your imagination is at least as mighty, albeit often slower than a PC. English is badly defined, I rather thought about logic. The languages don't really matter, all share the same fundamentals. For algorithms, FP seems just as beloved: http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp
It's a synonym to democracy, and yes, I agree to some extent. Still, self-control with regards to any system is a widely accepted term, and a comparable metaphor.