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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

"indifferentism" - Word of the Day from the OED

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indifferentism

SECOND EDITION 1989  

({shti}n{sm}d{shti}f{schwa}r{schwa}nt{shti}z({schwa})m)  [f. INDIFFERENT a. + -ISM: cf. F. indifférentisme (Littré).] 

    1. A spirit of indifference professed and practised.

1831 CARLYLE Sart. Res. II. iv, Often, notwithstanding, was I blamed..for my so-called Hardness, my Indifferentism towards men. 1877 BLACK Green Past. i, There are others who have educated themselves into a useful indifferentism or cynicism. 1879 HOWELLS L. Aroostook xxiii. 265 A cast~off accent of jaded indifferentism, just touched with displeasure. 1890 BOLDREWOOD Col. Reformer (1891) 6 These people either did not know..or, with the absurd indifferentism of Englishmen, did not care.

    b. esp. The principle that differences of religious belief are of no importance; adiaphorism; absence of zeal or interest in religious matters.

1827 SACK Let. in Pusey Hist. Enq. (1828) I. p. xiv, It originated with men very far removed from indifferentism. 1828 PUSEY Ibid. 59 His anxiety to promote Christian charity converted into indifferentism. 1840 MILMAN Hist. Chr. II. 381 The public acts..of Constantine, show how the lofty eclectic indifferentism of the Emperor..gave place to the progressive influence of Christianity. 1845 E. B. BARRETT in Letters of R. Browning & E. B. Barrett (1899) I. 240 He has a certain latitudinarianism (not indifferentism) in his life and affections. 1856 R. A. VAUGHAN Mystics (1860) I. 59 The signs of a growing toleration or indifferentism meet him on every side.

    2. Metaph. (See quot.)

1866 MANSELL in Contemp. Rev. I. 33 Hence arises a third form of philosophy, which, for want of a better name, we will call Indifferentism, as being a system in which the characteristic differences of mind and matter are supposed to disappear, being merged in something higher than both.

    3. Biol. ‘Term originally applied to the condition of the sexual glands at the time of development, when parts of them are common to both sexes’ (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1886).

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Learnt a lot from vicissitudes of life, I am a student of life, A work in progress, currently(sic) an overweight body but a beautiful mind, Another human seeking happiness. I believe in sharing and absorbing wisdom irrespective of the source. (aa no bhadraa kratavo...)