vitalist
/'vaitəlist/
Definition
- Noun:
- A believer in vitalism: A person who adheres to the doctrine of vitalism, which holds that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from purely physical or chemical forces.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- As a vitalist, she argued that life processes could not be fully explained by chemistry alone.
- The 19th-century debate between mechanists and vitalists centered on the nature of life itself.
Advanced Usage
- Philosophical/Historical Context: The term is primarily used in historical and philosophical discussions about the nature of life. A vitalist typically opposes mechanistic or reductionist views in biology.
- The biologist's vitalist stance was considered outdated by his peers who embraced molecular explanations.
Variants and Related Words
- Vitalism (n): The theory or doctrine that life originates from a vital principle distinct from chemical and physical forces.
- Vitalism was a significant philosophical current in early biology.
- Vitalistic (adj): Relating to or characteristic of vitalism.
- His vitalistic theories were met with skepticism.
Synonyms
- Animist (in some philosophical contexts, though animism often pertains to a soul in all things, not specifically a life force in organisms).
Antonyms
- Mechanist: A person who believes that life phenomena are fully explainable by the laws of physics and chemistry.
- Reductionist: A person who explains complex phenomena by reducing them to simpler, often physical, components.
Noun
-
one who believes in vitalism
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