externalism

Etymology

c. 1840 external + -ism

externalism means excessive regard to outward acts or appearances, especially in religion. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.

Why “externalism” is a great word

EXTERNALISM — [Noun] An excessive regard for outward acts or appearances, especially in religious observance, or the philosophical doctrine that the meaning of a term or the content of a mental state is determined by factors external to the individual. From Latin externus ("outward, external") + -ism, a suffix forming nouns of action or doctrine. First attested in the mid-19th century. Unlike "internalism," which grounds justification wholly within the mind's private chamber, or "spirituality," which prizes an inner, personal communion, externalism directs the gaze to the public scaffold—the ritual performed with empty heart, the dictionary that arbitrates a private thought, and the philosopher's hand touching the actual water to know its meaning. We are, inescapably, creatures authored more by the stage than by the soliloquy we believe we compose alone.

noun

Excessive regard to outward acts or appearances, especially in religion.
The act of judging by outward appearance or acts.
The belief that only things that can be observed by senses are real.