Definition

1. Noun:
   • A hypothetical, non-physical force believed to animate living matter: "vital force" refers to a theoretical, non-chemical and non-physical energy or principle once thought to be the unique cause of life, growth, and development in organisms, distinguishing them from inanimate objects.

Usage

• The term "vital force" is used primarily in historical and philosophical discussions of biology to describe the obsolete concept of vitalism.
• It is a compound noun, typically used in its complete form "vital force." It functions as a singular, uncountable concept.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Early biologists postulated the existence of a vital force to explain the complexity of life.
  • The theory of a vital force was largely abandoned with advances in biochemistry.

Advanced Usage

• "the vital force": Often used with the definite article "the" when referring to the concept as a specific, singular entity in philosophical discourse.
  • Henri Bergson wrote extensively about the creative power of the vital force.

Variants and Related Words

• Vitalism (n): The philosophical doctrine that the phenomena of life are due to a vital principle distinct from physical and chemical forces.
  • Vitalism was a significant school of thought before the modern synthesis in biology.
• Élan vital (n): A term coined by Henri Bergson for a supposed creative, evolutionary life force; often used synonymously with "vital force" in his philosophy.
  • Bergson's concept of élan vital was his version of a vital force.

Synonyms

• Life force: A more general term for a hypothetical energy responsible for life.
• Vital principle: A near-identical term often used interchangeably with "vital force."

Notes on Meaning

• The concept of a "vital force" is considered obsolete in modern science. Contemporary biology explains the processes of life through physical, chemical, and genetic principles, not a special, immaterial force. The term is now chiefly of historical interest.

Noun

1. (biology) a hypothetical force (not physical or chemical) once thought by Henri Bergson to cause the evolution and development of organisms