1. the theory that living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living matter because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things
Usage: philosophy; biology

Examples

• Vitalism was a popular theory in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• The discovery of synthetic organic compounds helped disprove vitalism.
• Many early biologists believed in vitalism to explain the difference between living and non-living matter.
• Modern science has largely rejected vitalism in favor of mechanistic explanations.
• Vitalism proposed that a vital force or life essence animated living beings.
• The debate between vitalism and materialism shaped early biological thought.