| 释义 |
palætiology rare.|pəliːtɪˈɒlədʒɪ|
Also palaitio-.
[(for *palæ-ætiology), f. Gr. παλαιός ancient + ætiology; after palæontology.]
Used by Whewell for the application of existing principles of cause and effect to the explanation of past phenomena.
1837Whewell Hist. Induct. Sc. xviii. III. 481 The sciences which treat of causes have sometimes been termed ætiological..; a portion of that science on which we are about to enter, geology, has..been termed palæontology, since it treats of beings which formerly existed. Hence, combining these two notions, the term palætiology appears to be not inappropriate, to describe those speculations which thus refer to actual past events, but attempt to explain them by laws of causation.
So paˌlætioˈlogical a., of, belonging to, or using the methods of palætiology; paˌlætiˈologist, one who investigates or treats of a subject in a palætiological way.
1837Whewell Hist. Induct. Sc. xviii. III. 486 Palætiological sciences..undertake to refer changes to their causes. Ibid. 487 The tendencies [etc.]..which direct man to architecture and sculpture, to civil government, to rational and grammatical speech..must be in a great degree known to the palætiologist of art, of society, and of language, respectively. 1840― Philos. Induct. Sc. (1847) II. 464. 1859 Max Müller Sc. Lang. Ser. i. ii. (1864) 29 Dr. Whewell classes the science of language as one of the palaitiological sciences. |