formalism
[ fawr-muh-liz-uh m ]
/ ˈfɔr məˌlɪz əm /
noun
strict adherence to, or observance of, prescribed or traditional forms, as in music, poetry, and art.
Religion.
strong attachment to external forms and observances.
Ethics.
a doctrine that acts are in themselves right or wrong regardless of consequences.
Logic, Mathematics.
a doctrine, which evolved from a proposal of David Hilbert, that mathematics, including the logic used in proofs, can be based on the formal manipulation of symbols without regard to their meaning.
OTHER WORDS FROM formalism
Words nearby formalism
formal mode,
formal system,
formaldehyde,
formalin,
formalin pigment,
formalism,
formality,
formalize,
formally,
formalwear,
formamidase
Example sentences from the Web for formalism
British Dictionary definitions for formalism
formalism
/ (ˈfɔːməˌlɪzəm) /
noun
scrupulous or excessive adherence to outward form at the expense of inner reality or content
- the mathematical or logical structure of a scientific argument as distinguished from its subject matter
- the notation, and its structure, in which information is expressed
theatre
a stylized mode of production
(in Marxist criticism) excessive concern with artistic technique at the expense of social values, etc
the philosophical theory that a mathematical statement has no meaning but that its symbols, regarded as physical objects, exhibit a structure that has useful applications
Compare logicism, intuitionism