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spiritualism

spiritualism

8.4
Belief that God exists apart from the physical world
  • noun
  • /ˈspɪrɪtʃuəlɪzəm/
  • Formal
translation icon : espiritualismo
  • He also rejected the two most well-known forms of monism, namely, materialism, in which the mind is denied, and monistic idealism, or spiritualism, in which matter is denied.

Examples

  • Carroll, Spiritualism in Antebellum America, 80.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Nikolai's repeated assertion that he would consult Maxim whenever there was a question, Dveri's article said, sounded like spiritualism.

    Blog text (17)

  • The doctrine of spiritualism asserts that God exists independently of the physical universe and matter.

  • Many people are drawn to spiritualism as a way to connect with the divine beyond the material world.

  • The principles of spiritualism emphasize the importance of spiritual experiences over material concerns.

Antonyms

atheism
198 5.8

To not believe that God or gods exist

materialism
  • Specialized
5 7.4

The belief that only physical things are real and minds come from them

Surface Forms

spiritualism singular
spiritualisms plural

Morphology

spiritualism = spiritual (semi-transparent) = spirit + ual + ism

Formally derived from 'spiritual' + '-ism', but this sense is a technical theological doctrine about God's separate existence, a specialized nuance not obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Spiritualism comes from spirit, from Latin spiritus, 'breath' or 'spirit', and -ism meaning 'a belief'. It names the idea that 'spirit' exists apart from matter, so spiritualism in theology says the spiritual world is separate from the physical world.