physicalism

[ fiz-i-kuh-liz-uh m ]

/ ˈfɪz ɪ kəˌlɪz əm /

noun

a doctrine associated with logical positivism and holding that every meaningful statement, other than the necessary statements of logic and mathematics, must refer directly or indirectly to observable properties of spatiotemporal things or events.

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Origin of physicalism

From the German word Physikalismus, dating back to 1930–35. See physical, -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM physicalism

phys·i·cal·ist, noun, adjective

Words nearby physicalism

physical optics, physical pendulum, physical science, physical sign, physical therapy, physicalism, physicalistic, physicality, physicalize, physically, physically challenged

British Dictionary definitions for physicalism

physicalism

/ (ˈfɪzɪkəˌlɪzəm) /

noun

philosophy the doctrine that all phenomena can be described in terms of space and time and that all meaningful statements are either analytic, as in logic and mathematics, or can be reduced to empirically verifiable assertionsSee also logical positivism, identity theory

Derived forms of physicalism

physicalist, noun, adjectivephysicalistic, 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