epiphenomenalism

[ ep-uh-fuh-nom-uh-nl-iz-uhm ]

noun
  1. the doctrine that consciousness is merely an epiphenomenon of physiological processes, and that it has no power to affect these processes.

Origin of epiphenomenalism

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; epi- + phenomenalism

Other words from epiphenomenalism

  • ep·i·phe·nom·e·nal·ist, noun

Words Nearby epiphenomenalism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use epiphenomenalism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for epiphenomenalism

epiphenomenalism

/ (ˌɛpɪfɪˈnɒmɪnəˌlɪzəm) /


noun
  1. the dualistic doctrine that consciousness is merely a by-product of physiological processes and has no power to affect them: Compare interactionism, parallelism

Derived forms of epiphenomenalism

  • epiphenomenalist, noun, adjective

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