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irrationalism

 - 3 dictionary results

ir⋅ra⋅tion⋅al⋅ism

  [i-rash-uh-nl-iz-uhm]
Use irrationalism in a Sentence
–noun
1. irrationality in thought or action.
2. an attitude or belief having a nonrational basis.
3. a theory that nonrational forces govern the universe.
Origin:
1805–15; irrational + -ism

Related forms:
ir⋅ra⋅tion⋅al⋅ist, adjective, noun
ir⋅ra⋅tion⋅al⋅is⋅tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ir·ra·tion·al·ism   (ĭ-rāsh'ə-nə-lĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. Irrational thought, expression, or behavior; irrationality.

  2. Belief in feeling, instinct, or other nonrational forces rather than reason.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

irrationalism

a 19th- and early 20th-century philosophical trend that claimed to enrich man's apprehension of life by expanding it beyond the rational to its fuller dimensions. Rooted either in metaphysics or in an awareness of the uniqueness of human experience, irrationalism stressed the dimensions of instinct, feeling, and will as over and against reason. The term is used chiefly by continental European philosophers, who regard irrationalism as one of several strong currents flowing into the 20th century.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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