superorganicism means the belief that a culture or society transcends the purely organic nature of its individuals.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, superorganicism ranks #7,220 of 14,456 for The Improbable, #12,042 of 14,438 for Most Storied Words.
Why “superorganicism” is a great word
The theory that culture constitutes a distinct level of reality that transcends the biological and psychological properties of the individuals within a society. From super- ("above, beyond") + organic ("of or relating to living organisms") + -ism ("doctrine, theory"). Unlike organicism, which sees society as a biological metaphor of interdependent parts, or reductionism, which insists on explaining the whole by breaking it down to its simplest components, superorganicism asserts an emergent, ghostly entity born of collective life but irreducible to it. It is the shared grammar that outlives every speaker, the tradition that persists beyond any believer, and the societal mood that no single mind can claim—a haunting suggestion that we are not the authors of our culture, but its temporary vessels.
Etymology
From superorganic + -ism.
noun
- The belief that a culture or society transcends the purely organic nature of its individuals.
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