Concept
Vitalism
Overview
discredited scientific hypothesis
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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There lies the stumbling-block of the vitalistic theories. We shall not reproach them, as is ordinarily done, with replying to the question by the question itself: the "vital principle" may indeed not explain much, but it is at least a sort of label affixed to our ignorance,…
Henri Bergson, Creative Evolution
States what Vitalism is; the author is tied to Vitalism in the knowledge graph.
These men are called “vitalists”. I do not myself see any reason to accept their view, but at the same time our knowledge is not sufficient to enable us to reject it definitely. What we can say is that their case is not proved, and that the opposite view is, scientifically, a more fruitful working hypothesis. It is better to look for physical and chemical explanations where we can, since we know of many processes in…
Bertrand Russell, Philosophy
States what Vitalism is; the author is tied to Vitalism in the knowledge graph.
It would be ridiculous to warp the philosophy of nature in order to bring out results that are pleasing to the tiny parasites of this insignificant planet. Vitalism as a philosophy, and evolutionism, show, in this respect, a lack of sense of proportion and logical relevance. They regard the facts of life, which are personally interesting to us, as having a cosmic significance, not a significance confined to the…
Bertrand Russell, What I believe
The author is tied to Vitalism in the knowledge graph; names Vitalism.
Philosophers who discussed Vitalism
- Henri Bergson
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
- Wilhelm Wundt
- Carl Jung
- Paul Churchland
- Eduard von Hartmann
- Islam
- Georges Canguilhem
- Hans Driesch
- Leonard Lawlor
- Carl Reichenbach
- Jacob Moleschott
- Nikolay Lossky
Related ideas
- Epicurus
- Falsifiability
- Organicism
- Galen
- Hippocrates
- Henri Bergson
- Jain philosophy
- Michael Ruse
- Dharma (Jainism)
- Julian Huxley
- Isaac Newton
- Idealism
- Embryology
- John B. Cobb
- Ancient Greek philosophy
- Mind–body dualism
- Metaphysics
- Pneuma
- Medicine
- Stoicism
- Materialism
- Yoruba people
- Hypothesis
- Natural selection
Opposing perspectives
Place in the tradition
Part of Outline of philosophy.
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