hominism means an entirely human world-view, with no elements that do not reflect human senses and experience, especially with the belief that this is all human beings are capable of. It carries an Arena rating of 1481, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hominism ranks #988 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,121 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #1,970 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #2,222 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “hominism” is a great word
A pragmatic, anthropocentric worldview that regards humans as highly differentiated animals, characterized by secularism, utilitarianism, and a rejection of the transcendent. From Latin homo ("man, human being") + -ism, coined to avoid confusion with established meanings of 'humanism'; first used in German as 'Hominismus' by Wilhelm Windelband. Unlike "humanism," which asserts the ennobling ideals of human dignity and reason, or "transhumanism," which dreams of surpassing our organic form, hominism insists we are simply, and only, extremely sophisticated animals. It is the view from the laboratory that sees love as chemistry, morality as evolutionary calculus, and consciousness as a trick of the nervous system—a philosophy that finds its quiet nobility in soberly studying the dust from which we are improbably made.
Etymology
From Latin homo (“man”) + -ism, to avoid confusion with humanism, already taken in established meanings. Some senses were first invented in German Hominismus.
noun
- An entirely human world-view, with no elements that do not reflect human senses and experience, especially with the belief that this is all human beings are capable of.
- An aggressive and utilitarian stance toward the world, characterized by anthropocentrism and cold objectivity.e.g.“Humanism needs the Christian faith lest it reduce man to a thing and become what MacGregor calls hominism.” — 1964, Journal of Bible and Religion - Volume 32, page 179:
- Secular humanism; A form of humanism with no concept of or reference to God, often associated with feminism.e.g.“I have heard Scruta and seen her plays and that is enough to satisfy anyone that our present way of understanding love is an enjoyable one. But I have no fear that hominism will ever destroy that.” — 1925, Salvador de Madariaga, The Sacred Giraffe, page 49:
- A biblically-based love of humanity, as opposed to secular humanism.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- humanism 67% match — The study of the humanities or the liberal arts; literary (especially classical) scholarship. vs hominism →
- animalism 63% match — The doctrine that humans are merely animals, and lack any spirituality. vs hominism →
- theanthropism 60% match — A state of being God and man. vs hominism →
- anthropocentrism 60% match — A viewpoint or theory that places human beings at the center of everything, giving preference to human beings above all other considerations. vs hominism →
- anthropism 59% match — The belief that human beings have a spiritual nature beyond the physical body characterized by in-dwelling Divinity. vs hominism →
- hylism 59% match — Synonym of materialism, mindfulness of or belief in mere physical reality and disregard of or disbelief in intellectual and spiritual concerns. vs hominism →
- hominize 59% match — To make human, or treat as if human. vs hominism →
- humanist 59% match — A scholar of one of the subjects in the humanities. vs hominism →