non-Aristotelian

English

Alternative forms

• nonaristotelian

Etymology

From non- +‎ Aristotelian; the general semantics sense was coined by Alfred Korzybski in the 1920s or early 1930s; the dramaturgical sense was coined circa 1930 by Bertolt Brecht.

Adjective

non-Aristotelian (not comparable)

1. Not Aristotelian; as:

   Antonym: Aristotelian

   1. (general semantics) Not unduly beholden to Aristotelian tendencies of thought (Aristotelianism), although respectful of them and aiming to extend beyond them (to stand on the shoulders of giants).
      • 2023, Lance Strate, “Preface to the Sixth Edition, 2023”, in Alfred Korzybski, Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics, 6th edition, Institute of General Semantics, →ISBN, pages 29–30:

        Again, it is necessary to stress that non-aristotelian does not mean anti-aristotelian, just as non-newtonian physics is not anti-newtonian physics. […] Given these revolutions in science and mathematics, Korzybski reasoned that it was long past time for a revolution in reason itself, time for a new manner of thought, and he chose non-aristotelian to complement the new non-newtonian science and the non-euclidean mathematics of the early 20th century. Had he been working a half century later, during the late 20th century period that saw the introduction of poststructuralism and postmodernism, not to mention the postindustrial, the postliterate, and the posthuman, he almost certainly would have chosen the term post-aristotelian instead; after all, his emphasis was on the need to move forward, not to eliminate the past. For Korzybski, general semantics was central to this effort, but at the same time his introduction to non-aristotelian systems opens up a new area of exploration that he left to others to continue, an area we might refer to as non-aristotelian studies.

   2. (drama, theater, of a play) Whose dramaturgical structure departs from the features of classical tragedy in favour of the features of the epic.

Further reading

• “non-Aristotelian, a.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.