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Definition of platonist - 3 dictionary results

Pla⋅to⋅nism

[pleyt-n-iz-uhm]
–noun
1. the philosophy or doctrines of Plato or his followers.
2. a Platonic doctrine or saying.
3. the belief that physical objects are impermanent representations of unchanging Ideas, and that the Ideas alone give true knowledge as they are known by the mind.
4. (sometimes lowercase) the doctrine or practice of platonic love.

Origin:
1560–70; < NL Platōnismus. See Platonic, -ism


Pla⋅to⋅nist, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Pla·to·nism   (plāt'n-ĭz'əm)   
n.  The philosophy of Plato, especially insofar as it asserts ideal forms as an absolute and eternal reality of which the phenomena of the world are an imperfect and transitory reflection.
Pla'to·nist n., Pla'to·nis'tic adj.
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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Cultural Dictionary

Platonism [(playt-n-iz-uhm)]

The philosophy of Plato, or an approach to philosophy resembling his. For example, someone who asserts that numbers exist independently of the things they number could be called a Platonist.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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