Definitions for meliorism
ˈmil yəˌrɪz əm, ˈmi li ə-me·lior·ism

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. meliorismnoun

   the belief that the world can be made better by human effort

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. meliorismnoun

   The view or doctrine that the world can be improved through human effort (often understood as an intermediate outlook between optimism and pessimism).

2. Etymology: From melior.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Meliorism

   Meliorism (Latin melior, better) is the idea that progress is a real concept leading to an improvement of the world. It holds that humans can, through their interference with processes that would otherwise be natural, produce an outcome which is an improvement over the aforementioned natural one. Meliorism, as a conception of the person and society, is at the foundation of contemporary liberal democracy and human rights and is a basic component of liberalism.Another important understanding of the meliorist tradition comes from the American Pragmatic tradition. One can read about it in the works of Lester Frank Ward, William James, and John Dewey. In James' works, however, meliorism does not pinpoint to progressivism and/or optimism. For James, meliorism stands in the middle between optimism and pessimism, and treats the salvation of the world as a probability rather than a certainty or impossibility. In the case of a meliorist praxis, the activist contemporary of the Pragmatists Jane Addams stripped progressive ideals of any elitist privilege calling for a "lateral progress" whose concern was squarely with the common people.Meliorism has also been used by Arthur Caplan to describe positions in bioethics that are in favor of ameliorating conditions which cause suffering, even if the conditions have long existed (e.g. being in favor of cures for common diseases, being in favor of serious anti-aging therapies as they are developed). A closely related concept discussed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Marquis de Condorcet is that of perfectibility of man. Condorcet's statement, "Such is the object of the work I have undertaken; the result of which will be to show, from reasoning and from facts, that no bounds have been fixed to the improvement of the human faculties; that the perfectibility of man is absolutely indefinite; that the progress of this perfectibility, henceforth above the control of every power that would impede it, has no other limit than the duration of the globe upon which nature has placed us." anticipates James' meliorism. Rousseau's treatment is somewhat weaker.Modern thinkers in this tradition are Hans Rosling and Max Roser. Roser expressed a melioristic position in the mission statement for Our World in Data. He said that all three statements are true at the same time "The world is much better. The world is awful. The world can be much better." Like William James before him Rosling held a halfway position between optimism and pessimism that emphasized humanity's capacity to improve their world.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. meliorism

   Meliorism is a philosophical doctrine or belief that the world or society can be improved through human effort, emphasizing the ability of individuals to make things better or improve the well-being of humanity over time through thoughtful action. It posits that progress and positive change are possible and achievable.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Meliorismnoun

   the doctrine that there is a tendency throughout nature toward improvement

2. Etymology: [From L. melior better.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Meliorism

   Meliorism is an idea in metaphysical thinking holding that progress is a real concept leading to an improvement of the world. It holds that humans can, through their interference with processes that would otherwise be natural, produce an outcome which is an improvement over the aforementioned natural one. Meliorism, as a conception of the person and society, is at the foundation of contemporary liberal democracy and human rights and is a basic component of liberalism. Another important understanding of the meliorist tradition comes from the American Pragmatic tradition. One can read about it in the works of Lester Frank Ward, William James, Ralph Nader, and John Dewey. Meliorism has also been used by Arthur Caplan to describe positions in bioethics that are in favor of ameliorating conditions which cause suffering, even if the conditions have long existed.

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Meliorism

   the theory that there is in nature a tendency to better and better development.

Matched Categories

1. • Belief

How to pronounce meliorism?

1. Alex

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How to say meliorism in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of meliorism in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of meliorism in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=meliorism
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Meliorism
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meliorism
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meliorism
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=meliorism
7. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Meliorism