Definition of "essentialism" [essentialism]

• The metaphysical theory that the essential properties of an object can be distinguished from those that are accidental to it. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Be wary of those who ask you to blame your hormones/biology: essentialism is not required here."
• "Thus the theoretical rejection of essentialism is matched by an attitudinal embrace of it."
• "Now finally I understand where those nagging thoughts were stemming from - "essentialism" - an entirely false construct when viewing evolution and certainly either an original or assimilated part of the christian meme."