finalism

American  

[fahyn-l-iz-uhm] / ˈfaɪn lˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the doctrine or belief that all events are determined by their purposes or goals.

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finalism British  

/ ˈfaɪnəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy the doctrine that final causes determine the course of all events

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Other Word Forms

• finalistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of finalism

First recorded in 1905–10; final + -ism

Example Sentences

M. Bergson's form of finalism depends upon his conception of life.

From Our Knowledge of the External World as a Field for Scientific Method in Philosophy by Russell, Bertrand

That is what neither mechanism nor finalism takes into account, and it is what we also fail to consider when we wonder at the marvelous structure of an instrument such as the eye.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur

Mechanism and finalism are therefore, here, only external views of our conduct.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur

This may seem perilously near to finalism, yet it is no more necessarily so, than the process of photography; we only need a self-adaptive tendency in life-matter responsive to the stimulating-tendency of the environment.

From The Faith of the Millions (2nd series) by Tyrrell, George

It will not be amiss to dwell on this point, and show more precisely how far this philosophy of life resembles finalism and wherein it is different.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur