vitalism
/ˈvaɪtəlɪzəm/
noun
- The belief that living things are different from non-living things because they have a special life force or principle that cannot be explained by chemistry or physics alone.
- Some alternative medicine practices are based on ideas similar to vitalism.
- Scientists today generally reject vitalism in favor of biochemical explanations.
- Vitalism was a popular theory in biology before modern chemistry explained many life processes.
Antonyms