Elisionism
Encyclopedia
Elisionism is a philosophical standpoint encompassing various social theories
. Elisionist theories are diverse, however they are unified in their adherence to process philosophy
as well as their assumption that the social
and the individual
cannot be separated. The term elisionism was coined by Margaret Archer
in 1995 in the book Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach. Elisionism is often contrasted with holism
, atomism
, and emergentism
.
Social theory
Social theories are theoretical frameworks which are used to study and interpret social phenomena within a particular school of thought. An essential tool used by social scientists, theories relate to historical debates over the most valid and reliable methodologies , as well as the primacy of...
. Elisionist theories are diverse, however they are unified in their adherence to process philosophy
Process philosophy
Process philosophy identifies metaphysical reality with change and dynamism. Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, philosophers have posited true reality as "timeless", based on permanent substances, whilst processes are denied or subordinated to timeless substances...
as well as their assumption that the social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and the individual
Individual
An individual is a person or any specific object or thing in a collection. Individuality is the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires. Being self expressive...
cannot be separated. The term elisionism was coined by Margaret Archer
Margaret Archer
Margaret Archer is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick, UK, since 1973. She is best known for coining the term elisionism in her 1995 book Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach....
in 1995 in the book Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach. Elisionism is often contrasted with holism
Holism
Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...
, atomism
Atomism
Atomism is a natural philosophy that developed in several ancient traditions. The atomists theorized that the natural world consists of two fundamental parts: indivisible atoms and empty void.According to Aristotle, atoms are indestructible and immutable and there are an infinite variety of shapes...
, and emergentism
Emergentism
In philosophy, emergentism is the belief in emergence, particularly as it involves consciousness and the philosophy of mind, and as it contrasts with reductionism. A property of a system is said to be emergent if it is in some sense more than the "sum" of the properties of the system's parts...
.