representationalism

[ rep-ri-zen-tey-shuh-nl-iz-uhm, -zuhn- ]

noun

1. Also called representative realism. Epistemology. the view that the objects of perception are ideas or sense data that represent external objects, especially the Lockean doctrine that the perceived idea represents exactly the primary qualities of the external object.
2. Fine Arts. the practice or principle of representing or depicting an object in a recognizable manner, especially the portrayal of the surface characteristics of an object as they appear to the eye.

representationalism

/ ˌrɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃənəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy the doctrine that in perceptions of objects what is before the mind is not the object but a representation of it Compare presentationism naive realism See also barrier of ideas
2. fine arts the practice or advocacy of attempting to depict objects, scenes, figures, etc, directly as seen

Derived Forms

• ˌrepresenˌtationalˈistic, adjective
• ˌrepresenˈtationist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• repre·sen·tation·al·ist noun
• repre·sen·tation·al·istic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of representationalism¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; representational + -ism