vitalism
the doctrine that phenomena are only partly controlled by mechanical forces, and are in some measure self-determining.
vitalistic
-
a word derived from
vitalism.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was also his belief in vitalism, apparently transmitted to Charles, that provided the “crucial link to alternative medicine,” given that so much of alternative medicine is based on vitalistic beliefs.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2015
In 1899, by fertilizing sea-urchin eggs with chemicals and producing young larvae, he struck a heavy blow at the popular vitalistic theory which maintained that some intangible "vital spirit" or "entelechy" was necessary to life.
From Time Magazine Archive
And DNA, once unveiled, left little room for the ethereal, vitalistic accounts of life that so many people had found comforting.
From Time Magazine Archive
These questions belong to metaphysics, and vitalistic or biocentric conceptions may be valid in the metaphysical sphere.
From John Dewey's logical theory by Delton Thomas Howard
Not without reason have the later schools of evolutionary thought, who developed the psychological and vitalistic side of his doctrine, called themselves Neo-Lamarckians.
From Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology by E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
