consilience

noun

con·​sil·​ience kən-ˈsil-yən(t)s How to pronounce consilience (audio)
: the linking together of principles from different disciplines especially when forming a comprehensive theory

Examples of consilience in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This is not an argument for biologist E.O. Wilson’s concept of consilience, which posited that the humanities and social sciences can be explained by the same underlying laws that ruled the physical world. Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer, The Mercury News, 13 July 2024 If consilience entails convergence toward a consensus, science is moving away from consilience. John Horgan, Scientific American, 25 June 2021 Next question: Is consilience desirable? John Horgan, Scientific American, 25 June 2021 Part of the problem here is that for various reasons that the sample space of researchers engaging in this sort of consilience is small, and restricted to particular scientific subcultures (e.g., evolutionary psychologists, the group of anthropologists around Robert Boyd, etc.). Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 30 Mar. 2013 But, ultimately, the consilience of doing and being is essential. Douglas B. Laney, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

com- + resilience

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of consilience was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near consilience

Cite this Entry

“Consilience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consilience. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

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