phenomenalism

American  

[fi-nom-uh-nl-iz-uhm] / fɪˈnɒm ə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

Philosophy.

1. the doctrine that phenomena are the only objects of knowledge or the only form of reality.

2. the view that all things, including human beings, consist simply of the aggregate of their observable, sensory qualities.

---

phenomenalism British  

/ fɪˈnɒmɪnəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy the doctrine that statements about physical objects and the external world can be analysed in terms of possible or actual experiences, and that entities, such as physical objects, are only mental constructions out of phenomenal appearances Compare idealism realism

---

Other Word Forms

• phenomenalist noun
• phenomenalistic adjective
• phenomenalistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of phenomenalism

First recorded in 1860–65; phenomenal + -ism

Example Sentences

Finally, and most commonly, the terms of phenomenalism have been retained after their original meaning has been suffered to lapse.

From The Approach to Philosophy by Perry, Ralph Barton

"No doubt by now she's found twelve more insupportably ridiculous assertions in your paper on aperceptual phenomenalism."

From Stories from the Old Attic by Harris, Robert A.

Agnosticism is but a cautious idealism—a timid phenomenalism.

From Essays Towards a Theory of Knowledge by Philip, Alexander

And from the time of Berkeley these two principles, phenomenalism and spiritualism, have remained as distinct and alternating phases of subjectivism.

From The Approach to Philosophy by Perry, Ralph Barton

On precisely the same psychological foundation, we have such divergent views of knowledge as idealism, phenomenalism, and agnosticism, with many other strange mixtures of logic, psychology, and metaphysics.

From International Congress of Arts and Science, Volume I Philosophy and Metaphysics by Various