essentialism

American  

[uh-sen-shuh-liz-uhm] / əˈsɛn ʃəˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. Philosophy. a doctrine that the inward, or essential, nature of most things is invariable, as opposed to the properties that are accidental, phenomenal, illusory, etc.

2. Education. a doctrine that certain traditional concepts, ideals, and skills are essential to society and should be taught methodically to all students, regardless of individual ability, need, etc.

---

essentialism British  

/ ɪˈsɛnʃəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy one of a number of related doctrines which hold that there are necessary properties of things, that these are logically prior to the existence of the individuals which instantiate them, and that their classification depends upon their satisfaction of sets of necessary conditions

2. the doctrine that education should concentrate on teaching basic skills and encouraging intellectual self-discipline

---

Other Word Forms

• essentialist noun

Etymology

Origin of essentialism

First recorded in 1935–40; essential + -ism

Example Sentences

The problem with gender essentialism is that even a solitary divergence suggests that the “natural law” is not, in fact, a law.

From Salon

“Watch out for the essentialism trap,” she said.

From New York Times

Ms. des Cars of the Louvre said she was “cautious” when it comes to essentialism adding, “Women can be terrible directors, too. I’ve seen a few.”

From New York Times

One topic that not all directors agree on is whether women inherently bring something special to leadership roles, just based on their gender — a theory sometimes called essentialism.

From New York Times

Some put themselves somewhere in the middle on the essentialism scale.

From New York Times