exemptionalism

Etymology

From exemptional + -ism.

exemptionalism means the belief that the relationship between humans and the natural environment is unimportant because humans are "exempt" from environmental forces and capable of adapting via cultural change. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why this word is great

EXEMPTIONALISM — [Noun] The anthropocentric belief that human ingenuity and cultural systems can supersede ecological constraints, rendering our species exempt from the biophysical limits governing other life. From the English word 'exemptional' (relating to exemption, from Latin 'eximere' meaning "to take out, remove") and the suffix '-ism' (denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy). Unlike "exceptionalism" (which flatters with notions of unique virtue) or "environmentalism" (which advocates for stewardship within limits), exemptionalism is a hubris of disconnection. It is the poured-concrete seawall defiant against a rising ocean, the satellite-fed harvest from depleted soil, and the air-conditioned tower regarding a sweltering street as merely an engineering problem—a quiet, catastrophic faith that we live outside the ecosystem we steadily consume.

noun

The belief that the relationship between humans and the natural environment is unimportant because humans are "exempt" from environmental forces and capable of adapting via cultural change.