zoism means A reverence for animal life or belief in animal powers and influences, as among primitive groups. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
ZOISM — [Noun] A doctrine, now largely historical, which posits that the phenomena of life are due to a peculiar vital principle distinct from physical and chemical forces. From the Ancient Greek ζωή (zōḗ, "life") and the English suffix -ism, denoting a system, principle, or doctrine. Unlike vitalism, its more expansive philosophical relation, or mechanism, its starkly materialist antagonist, zoism is the ghost in the machine given a precise and forlorn name. It is the last shudder of a severed frog’s leg under Galvani’s electrode, the inexplicable intelligence of a migrating bird, and the stubborn green shoot pushing through sun-baked clay—a quiet protest against the tyranny of pure matter, born from the awe of that very silence.
noun
- A reverence for animal life or belief in animal powers and influences, as among primitive groups.
- A former doctrine claiming that the phenomena of life are due to a peculiar vital principle; the theory of vital force.