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indeterminism

[in-di-tur-muh-niz-uh m]
noun Philosophy.
  1. the doctrine that human actions, though influenced somewhat by preexisting psychological and other conditions, are not entirely governed by them but retain a certain freedom and spontaneity.
  2. the theory that the will is to some extent independent of the strength of motives, or may itself modify their strength in choice.

Origin of indeterminism

First recorded in 1870–75; in-3 + determinism
Related formsin·de·ter·min·ist, noun, adjectivein·de·ter·min·is·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for indeterminism

Historical Examples of indeterminism

  • Opposed to determinism is the doctrine of indeterminism or indifferentism.

  • Indeterminism is the only way to break the world into good parts and into bad, and to stand by the former as against the latter.

  • The misinterpretation probably arose at first from my defending (after Renouvier) the indeterminism of our efforts.

  • The enormous change was that determinism had been transferred from ends to means; and indeterminism from means to ends.

    The Philosophy of Spinoza

    Baruch de Spinoza

  • It has championed Determinism or Indeterminism as the occasion served its interest.

British Dictionary definitions for indeterminism

indeterminism

noun
  1. the philosophical doctrine that behaviour is not entirely determined by motives
Derived Formsindeterminist, noun, adjectiveindeterministic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012