probabilism

[ prob-uh-buh-liz-uh m ]
/ ˈprɒb ə bəˌlɪz əm /

noun

Philosophy. the doctrine, introduced by the Skeptics, that certainty is impossible and that probability suffices to govern faith and practice.
Roman Catholic Theology. a theory that in cases of doubt as to the lawfulness of an action, it is permissible to follow a sound opinion favoring its lawfulness.

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Compare equiprobabilism.

Origin of probabilism

From the French word probabilisme, dating back to 1835–45. See probable, -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM probabilism

prob·a·bi·list, noun, adjective

Words nearby probabilism

proactive, proactive inhibition, proagon, prob, prob., probabilism, probabilistic, probability, probability curve, probability density function, probability distribution
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for probabilism

British Dictionary definitions for probabilism

probabilism
/ (ˈprɒbəbɪˌlɪzəm) /

noun

philosophy the doctrine that although certainty is impossible, probability is a sufficient basis for belief and action
the principle of Roman Catholic moral theology that in a situation in which authorities differ as to what is the right course of action it is permissible to follow any course which has the support of some authority

Derived forms of probabilism

probabilist, noun, adjectiveprobabilistic, adjectiveprobabilistically, adverb
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