philosophism

[ fi-los-uh-fiz-uhm ]

/ fɪˈlɒs əˌfɪz əm /

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spurious or deceitful philosophy.

a false or contrived argument, especially one designed to deceive.

QUIZZES

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

First recorded in 1785–95; philosoph(y) + -ism

an·ti·phi·los·o·phism, noun

Franklin owned to the fraud in Necker's house when he came to Paris, much to the confusion of French philosophism.
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris|Honore de Balzac
The Feds alone still treat it as a philosophism, and would rejoice at its failure.
First Across the Continent|Noah Brooks
In the forefront appears the fixed and favorite idea of the old-fashioned philosophism.
The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 4 (of 6)|Hippolyte A. Taine
Philosophism sits joyful in glittering saloons, is the pride of nobles and promises a coming millennium.
The Choctaw Freedmen|Robert Elliott Flickinger

French 'philosophism' then became suddenly militant and practical.
A Short History of French Literature|George Saintsbury