epiphenomenalism
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epiphenomenalism
- /ˌɛ.pi.fəˌnɒ.mə.nəˈlɪ.zəm/ UK
- /ˌɛ.pi.fəˌnɑ.mə.nəˈlɪ.zəm/ US
Rhymes with -ɪzəm
Where it comes from
From epiphenomenal + -ism. Coined by English psychologist James Ward in 1899.
noun epiphenomenalisms
-
The doctrine that consciousness, mental states and processes are simply by-products of physiological events in the brain or nervous system and cannot themselves cause anything, whether material or immaterial.
In the eyes of epiphenomenalism, anger does not cause one to shout nor does grief cause one to cry; the feelings are by-products of the underlying physical causes and nothing more.
Similar: conscious automatism, automatism
- Such a doctrine, as advanced by a particular thinker or school of thought. The theory of emergent evolution has been largely developed as a corrective of mechanistic theories with their attendant psycho-physical dualisms and epiphenomenalisms.
Translations
Every language
noun doctrine
| Deutsch | Epiphänomenalismus |
|---|
Talk about this word "epiphenomenalism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenalism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. epiphenomenalism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenalism "epiphenomenalism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenalism.Cite this
@misc{epiphenomenalism_2026,
title = {epiphenomenalism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/epiphenomenalism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
