vitalistic
Beyond mere mechanism
Vitalistic describes the belief that living organisms possess some essential force or principle that distinguishes them from nonliving matter—something beyond physics and chemistry.
The term appears mainly in philosophy and biology, often critically: vitalistic explanations have fallen out of favor in modern science.
A vitalistic worldview sees life as irreducible to mechanical processes.
Vital breath energy
- chiGreek letter or energy
- qiVital life energy
- pneumaGreek vital spirit
- animating forceWhat makes things move
life essence · vigor · lifeblood · animus · spirit · breath · soul · quintessence
- teleologyStudy of purpose in nature
- organicismUnified living systems theory
- emergenceComing into existence
- holismWholes trump components
Having great physical energy
- dynamicActive and changing
- livelyAnimated and energetic
- spiritedFull of vim
- vivaciousAttractively energetic and enthusiastic
exuberant · animated · vibrant · buoyant · zestful · effervescent · ebullient · sprightly
Given a soul
- nature spiritsSupernatural beings in landscapes
- ancestral spiritsSouls of deceased kin
- shamanismMediation between worlds
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
Combining into a whole
- mind-bodyMental-physical relationship
- wellnessOverall state of health
- healingRestoration of health
- complementaryMutually supplying lacks
alternative medicine · naturopathy · homeopathy · acupuncture · Ayurveda · chiropractic · energy healing · preventive
prana
Vital breath energy
animating force · life essence · vigor · lifeblood · animus · spirit · breath · soul · quintessence · aura
Henri Bergson
- teleologyStudy of purpose in nature
- organicismUnified living systems theory
- emergenceComing into existence
holism · dualism · purposiveness · spontaneity · irreducibility
vigorous
Having great physical energy
vivacious · exuberant · animated · vibrant · buoyant · zestful · effervescent · ebullient · sprightly · robust
ensouled
Given a soul
- nature spiritsSupernatural beings in landscapes
- ancestral spiritsSouls of deceased kin
- shamanismMediation between worlds
integrative
Combining into a whole
complementary · alternative medicine · naturopathy · homeopathy · acupuncture · Ayurveda · chiropractic · energy healing · preventive · natural healing
vitalisticmechanistic
Viewing systems as machines
materialist · reductionist · biochemical · molecular · mechanist
vitalisticmaterialistic
Prioritizing physical wealth
mechanistic · reductionistic · atomistic · naturalist · secular