Platonism
Americannoun
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the philosophy or doctrines of Plato or his followers.
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a Platonic doctrine or saying.
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the belief that physical objects are impermanent representations of unchanging Ideas, and that the Ideas alone give true knowledge as they are known by the mind.
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(sometimes lowercase) the doctrine or practice of platonic love.
noun
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the teachings of Plato and his followers, esp the philosophical theory that the meanings of general words are real existing abstract entities (Forms) and that particular objects have properties in common by virtue of their relationship with these Forms Compare nominalism conceptualism intuitionism
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the realist doctrine that mathematical entities have real existence and that mathematical truth is independent of human thought
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See Neo-Platonism
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The philosophy of Plato, or an approach to philosophy resembling his. For example, someone who asserts that numbers exist independently of the things they number could be called a Platonist.
Other Word Forms
- Platonist noun
- anti-Platonism noun
- anti-Platonist noun
- pro-Platonism noun
- pro-Platonist noun
Etymology
Origin of Platonism
From the New Latin word Platōnismus, dating back to 1560–70. See Platonic, -ism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These assertions, whether Platonism, the simulation hypothesis or my insane-god theology, can easily become escapist and nihilistic.
From Scientific American • Jun. 14, 2022
I guess it was the nascent Platonism in me: If it ain't nice or uplifting, avoid it.
From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2018
Flying against the strong winds of experimentalism, their banner of Platonism called the unbeliever to return to the ancient modes of thought.
From Time Magazine Archive
We have surveyed the successive progress of Stoicism, Platonism, and Egyptian philosophies, at once reflecting and guiding the moral tendencies of society.
From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole
His confusion of Platonism with Neo-Platonism is especially annoying.
From John Dewey's logical theory by Howard, Delton Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.