epiphenomenalism

== English == === Etymology === From epiphenomenal +‎ -ism. === Noun === epiphenomenalism (countable and uncountable, plural epiphenomenalisms) (philosophy, psychology, uncountable) The doctrine that mental states and processes are simply incidental effects of physiological events in the brain or nervous system and cannot themselves cause any effects in the material world. (philosophy, psychology, countable) Such a doctrine, as advanced by a particular thinker or school of thought. ==== Related terms ==== epiphenomenon epiphenomenal epiphenomenalist epiphenomenalistic ==== Translations ==== === References === Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989. Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.