| 释义 |
vi·tal·ism
\ˈvīd.əlˌizəm, -ītəl-\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: vital + -ism
1. : a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle (as an élan vital or entelechy) distinct from physicochemical forces — compare mechanism, organicism
2. : a doctrine that the processes of life are not explicable by the laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life is in some part self-determining instead of mechanistically determined — compare organicism, orthogenesis |