Definition of "epiphenomenal" [epiphenomenal]

• Of or pertaining to a mental process which occurs only as an incidental effect of electrical or chemical activity in the brain or nervous system. (adjective)

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• "One of the most far-fetched essays, and one which is clearly carried away by what I earlier called the epiphenomenal aspects of Dorothy’s work, is Matthew R. Smith’s, which argues that “The Catholic Worker Movement is a form of liberation theology.”"
• "All that we are allowed to see may well be epiphenomenal -- the real running of the country is done in secret and often in violation of fundamental constitutional principles, couched behind the banner of national security."
• "This list is, in the most thorough way possible, epiphenomenal."