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

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Etymology

Origin of finalism

First recorded in 1905–10; final + -ism

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

finalism

The errors and puerilities of radical finalism are due to the misapprehension of this point.

From Creative Evolution by Arthur Mitchell

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

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

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 Bertrand Russell

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 George Tyrrell

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

From Creative Evolution by Arthur Mitchell

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