anekantavada means the doctrine of many-sidedness, specifically that reality and truth have multiple aspects and demand diverse points of view. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why this word is great
ANEKANTAVADA — [Noun] The Jain philosophical doctrine that reality and truth are complex and multifaceted, requiring the acceptance of multiple, non-absolute perspectives. From Sanskrit अनेकान्तवाद (anekānta-vāda), a compound of an- ("not"), ekānta ("one side, exclusivity"), and vāda ("doctrine, speech"), literally meaning "doctrine of non-exclusivity." Unlike dogmatism, which imposes a single, absolute truth, or relativism, which can flatten all views into equal validity, anekantavada is a disciplined synthesis—a cartography of partial views converging toward a whole. It is the slow rotation of a many-faceted gem in the hand, the parable of blind men each correctly describing a different part of an elephant, and the understanding that the same light can be a particle and a wave. A quiet antidote to the age of certitude.
noun
- The doctrine of many-sidedness, specifically that reality and truth have multiple aspects and demand diverse points of view.“And, ultimately, anekantavada was not a doctrine of relativism: the blind men were, in the end, arguing over the same elephant.”