spiritualism

From spiritual +‎ -ism. In Allan Kardec's book The Spirits Book (1857) (Le Livre des Esprits in the original French), in which a distinction between spiritism and is defined.

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɪɹɪtjuəlɪzəm/, /ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃuəlɪzəm/, /ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃəlɪzəm/

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spiritualism (countable and uncountable, plural spiritualisms)

1. (philosophy) A doctrine, opposing materialism, that claims transcendency of the divine being, the altogether spiritual character of reality and the value of inwardness of consciousness.
   • 1880, R. H. Hutton, “Preface”, in Theological essays:

     What is called spiritualism should, I think, be called a mental species of materialism.

2. A belief that the dead communicate with the living, especially through a medium. Used in a broader sense than spiritism.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 229:

     I wish it were possible to impress this truth upon people who rush into spiritualism from curiosity, or who try "table rapping" or some similar phenomenon "for fun".

3. The quality or state of being spiritual.

• (belief that dead communicate with the living): spiritism

• spiritualist

Borrowed from French spiritualisme. By surface analysis, spiritual +‎ -ism.

spiritualism n (uncountable)

1. spiritualism