mechanist

• Nom désignant un philosophe adepte du mécanisme, doctrine selon laquelle les processus naturels sont déterminés mécaniquement et peuvent s'expliquer par les lois de la physique.

A noun referring to a philosopher who subscribes to the doctrine of mechanism, which holds that natural processes are mechanically determined and can be explained by physical laws.

1. Philosophical MechanistC1formal

   A person who believes in mechanism, the doctrine that natural processes are mechanically determined and can be explained by physical laws alone.

   Mécaniste (philosophie)

   • The 18th-century mechanist argued that the universe functions like a clockwork machine.
   • As a mechanist, she rejected vitalism and insisted that life could be understood through physics and chemistry.
   • Many enlightenment scientists were mechanists who sought to explain biology in terms of mechanics.

   Antonymesteleologistvitalist