anthropocentrism

American  

[an-thruh-poh-sen-triz-uhm] / ˌæn θrə poʊˈsɛn trɪz əm /

noun

1. the view that human beings are the central fact or the final aim and end of the universe.

2. the tendency to view and interpret everything in terms of human experience, making it the only operative consideration in determining the moral or ethical value of a course of action.

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Etymology

Origin of anthropocentrism

First recorded in 1905–10; anthropocentr(ic) + -ism

Example Sentences

He does his own unlearning of anthropocentrism on the page through his intense experiences with these three rivers, concluding only when the rivers are done with him: “I am rivered.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

In every case, the target of these revolutions was the persistent belief that our species is the center of everything, an idea called anthropocentrism.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2023

Nevertheless, given that insects represent at least 60% of all animals, she says, “We can’t ignore them. There is still anthropocentrism in Western science that rejects the idea of caring about ‘dumb invertebrates.’

From Science Magazine • Jul. 25, 2022

Though it never becomes a neat allegory, beneath the fantastical elements is a blatant critique of anthropocentrism and state control, and a keen concern for the way power is wielded against the marginalized.

From Washington Post • Jul. 14, 2021

In this way, an ethically inspired system of metaphysics grew up, whose anthropocentrism was apparently warranted by the geocentrism of astronomy.

From Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays by Russell, Bertrand