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.

---

finalism British  

/ ˈfaɪnəˌlɪzəm /

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• finalistic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of finalism

First recorded in 1905–10; final + -ism

Example Sentences

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

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

It is this more comprehensive reality that true finalism ought to reconstruct, or, rather, if possible, embrace in one view.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur

The theory we shall put forward in this book will therefore necessarily partake of finalism to a certain extent.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur

There is in vision more than the component cells of the eye and their mutual coördination: in this sense, neither mechanism nor finalism go far enough.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur