PsychologyAugust 28, 2026

obscurantism

ob-skyuh-RAN-tih-zum

Definition

The practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known, or an opposition to the spread of knowledge and enlightenment.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'obscurans', meaning 'darkening', the term emerged in the 18th century to describe individuals or movements that actively resisted or hindered the progress of scientific or intellectual enlightenment.

In the news

The article states that Chattopadhyaya's scholarship is used as a tool to challenge obscurantism in modern India, positioning his work as a counter-narrative to interpretations that ignore rational history.

Debiprasad's search for materialist current in ancient Indian philosophy

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