Meaning & use
anthropocentrism
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Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
The belief or habit of treating humans as the most important beings, and judging everything else by how it affects people.
Grammar: Uncountable: anthropocentrism is widespread.
Patterns
- anthropocentrism in something
- a critique of anthropocentrism
Environmental writers often criticize anthropocentrism in modern thinking.
Anthropocentrism shapes how we value forests, mostly for timber and recreation.
The philosopher argued that anthropocentrism excuses cruelty to animals.
Common combinations
- criticize anthropocentrism
- Many ethicists criticize anthropocentrism.
- challenge anthropocentrism
- Her book challenges anthropocentrism in medicine.
- human anthropocentrism
- Human anthropocentrism puts people above all species.
- reject anthropocentrism
- Deep ecology rejects anthropocentrism.
- a critique of anthropocentrism
- The essay offers a critique of anthropocentrism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- human-centeredness
- Human-centeredness is plainer and more everyday, while anthropocentrism is the philosophical term.
- speciesism
- Speciesism stresses unfair treatment of other species and is more openly critical than anthropocentrism.
- humanism
- Humanism is a broader view valuing human reason and dignity, and does not necessarily involve disregard for nature.
Opposites
Word family
- anthropocentric adjective
- regarding humans as the most important
- anthropology noun
- the study of human societies
- anthropocene noun
- the proposed age of human impact on Earth
- anthropomorphism noun
- giving human traits to animals or things
Commonly confused: anthropocentrism or anthropomorphism?
anthropocentrism vs anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism means giving human qualities to non-humans, while anthropocentrism means putting humans at the center of value.
Practice
A philosopher who argues that animals matter only because they are useful to people is defending ___.
Choose one answer.
Valuing nature only for its use to people is anthropocentrism. Anthropomorphism is a tempting similar word but means treating non-humans as if they were human.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “anthropocentrism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.