perennialism means perennial philosophy. It carries an Arena rating of 1230, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, perennialism ranks #183 of 13,226 for Most Sublime Words, #4,196 of 13,226 for Most Ponderous Words, #4,909 of 13,226 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #6,238 of 13,226 for Most Beautiful Words.
Why “perennialism” is a great word
The belief in universal, timeless truths and the educational practice of imparting them, from perennial (from Latin perennis, "lasting through the year, enduring") + -ism (denoting a system, principle, or ideological movement). Unlike progressivism, which emphasizes adaptation to the contemporary, or relativism, which dissolves truth into context, perennialism is an anchor in the river of time. It is the geometry of Euclid taught in a sunlit classroom, the dialogues of Plato read by lamplight, and the ethical quandaries of Antigone debated anew by each generation—a quiet insistence that the deepest questions, and their answers, do not age.
Etymology
From perennial + -ism.
noun
- Perennial philosophy.
- A normative educational philosophy according to which one should teach the things that are of everlasting relevance to all people everywhere, and that the emphasis should be on principles, not facts.
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