Anthropocentrisms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A worldview that places humans at the center of consideration, often regarding human beings as the most significant entities in the universe
2. An ideological perspective that emphasizes human interests and values above those of other species and the environment
3. A philosophical stance asserting the importance of human beings in the evaluation and treatment of moral and ethical issues

Etymology: "Anthropocentrisms" is simply the plural of "anthropocentrism," so it refers to several distinct versions of the view that human beings are the central measure of moral worth and ethical concern. The base term was formed in English in the early twentieth century, around 1905 to 1910, by attaching the suffix "-ism" to "anthropocentric," which itself combines the Greek roots "anthropos" (human being) and "kentron" (centre). The construction is a transparent one. "Anthropo-" supplies the human element, "-centr-" places that human at the middle of the picture, and "-ism" turns the whole into a doctrine or stance. Because the plural form counts different strands of this stance, it is most often used when comparing how thinkers justify placing humans at the centre of ethics.