naturalism

/ˈnætʃrəlɪzəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnætʃrəlɪzəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈna-ch(ə-)rə-ˌli-zəm/ (ame, mw)

naturalism — noun

1. a way of making art, writing books, or staging plays in which people, places, an

1.名詞C1
釋義

a way of making art, writing books, or staging plays in which people, places, and daily events are shown the way they look in real life, with no effort to make them prettier or more dramatic.

例句

Christopher's painting of his grandfather's kitchen shows the naturalism of nineteenth-century French art.

the naturalism of + [artistic tradition]

Soraya admired the naturalism in the play, where the actors ate, washed dishes, and quarrelled like a real family.

naturalism in [art form] for describing realistic style

同義詞
  • realism

    near-synonym; realism is the broader umbrella, naturalism is its harder-edged late-19th-century branch that adds scientific detail

  • verism

    rarer term, mainly used of late-19th-century Italian opera and visual art

反義詞
  • idealism

    shows people and scenes as more beautiful or noble than they are in life

  • romanticism

    favours strong emotion, exotic settings, and the heroic over the ordinary

文法句型

naturalism in [art form]

the naturalism of [artist/work]

用法筆記

Often capitalised (Naturalism) when referring to the specific late-19th-century movement led by Zola and his followers; lowercase for the broader style. Subject is typically a work, an artist, a movement, or a body of art.

常見錯誤

Her drawings are very naturalism.
Her drawings are very naturalistic.
💡naturalism is the style; naturalistic is the adjective that describes a work.

2. the belief, common among scientists and philosophers, that every event in the un

2.名詞C2
釋義

the belief, common among scientists and philosophers, that every event in the universe — including thought, feeling, and life itself — has a cause that can be studied by science, with no need for gods, spirits, or other powers beyond nature.

例句

Hoa's essay defends naturalism by arguing that even moral feelings come from the way human brains have evolved.

defend / argue for naturalism + scientific reasoning

Many modern biologists work within a quiet naturalism, assuming the body is just a very complex machine.

work within naturalism + scientific practice

同義詞
  • materialism

    narrower; specifically the view that only physical matter exists, while naturalism also allows abstract laws and patterns

  • physicalism

    modern technical term, close to materialism, common in philosophy of mind

  • secularism

    social and political stance of keeping religion out of public life; overlaps but is not the same as the metaphysical claim

反義詞
  • supernaturalism

    the view that some events have causes beyond the natural world

  • theism

    belief that one or more gods act in the world

文法句型

philosophical naturalism

naturalism holds that [clause]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (an art style): sense 2 is a position in philosophy about what exists and how it can be known. Often qualified — 'methodological naturalism' (scientists set aside the supernatural while working) vs. 'metaphysical naturalism' (the supernatural does not exist at all).

常見錯誤

He believes in naturalism, so he loves hiking in the forest.
He believes in naturalism, so he sees the mind as a product of the brain.
💡naturalism the philosophy is about natural causes for everything, not a love of the outdoors.