essentialism
/ɪˈsɛnʃəˌlɪzəm/
noun
- The belief that certain things have a fixed, unchanging nature or essence that defines what they are.
- Essentialism in philosophy argues that every entity has a set of attributes necessary to its identity.
- The teacher explained that essentialism is the idea that objects have an underlying reality beyond their appearance.
- Some critics say that gender essentialism unfairly limits how people can express themselves.