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Glite Dictionary
pataphysics

pataphysics

1 9.9
A playful fake science about imaginary ideas and things that break the rules of normal philosophy
  • noun
  • /ˌpætəˈfɪzɪks/
  • Literature
: pataphísica
  • In a playful twist, the author used pataphysics to illustrate the absurdity of strict scientific reasoning.

Examples

  • Many artists have drawn inspiration from pataphysics to create works that challenge reality.

  • The study of pataphysics offers a unique perspective on theories that defy conventional logic.

  • But the dichotomy which heads the list—Symbolism versus Pataphysics—makes nonsense of even the most provisional attempt to read these binaries in diachronic terms.

    Academic text (1993)

Surface Forms

pataphysics singular
pataphysics plural

Etymology

Pataphysics was invented by the French writer Alfred Jarry as a playful twist on metaphysics and physics, and he called it 'the science of imaginary solutions'. So, pataphysics today means a mock or joking way of thinking that looks 'beyond' regular metaphysics and studies strange, imaginary exceptions.