pseudophilosophy

English

Alternative forms

• pseudo-philosophy

Etymology

From pseudo- +‎ philosophy.

Pronunciation

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Noun

pseudophilosophy (countable and uncountable, plural pseudophilosophies)

1. (chiefly derogatory) Fake or very bad philosophy.

   Synonym: philosophastry

   • 1965, E.F.J.Payne translating Arthur Schopenhauer, On the Basis of Morality:

     If I were to say that the so-called philosophy of this fellow Hegel is a colossal piece of mystification which will yet provide posterity with an inexhaustible theme for laughter at our times, that it is a pseudophilosophy paralyzing all mental powers, stifling all real thinking, and, by the most outrageous misuse of language, putting in its place the hollowest, most senseless, thoughtless, and, as is confirmed by its success, most stupefying verbiage, I should be quite right.

Usage notes

• The hyphenated form is more common in both British and American Google Ngram Viewer corpora.

Related terms

• pseudophilosopher
• pseudophilosophic
• pseudophilosophical

Translations

fake or very bad philosophy

• Czech: pseudofilozofie (cs) f
• German: Pseudophilosophie f, Scheinphilosophie f, Afterphilosophie f

Further reading

• pseudophilosophy, pseudo-philosophy at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.