Bracketing

/ˈbræk.ɪ.tɪŋ/ verb

Definition

The act of placing marks or symbols (brackets) around something to enclose it, or in philosophy, to set aside assumptions to focus on the essence of a concept.

Etymology

From 'bracket' (from French 'braguette'). In phenomenology, the term was adopted by Edmund Husserl to describe the methodological process of temporarily setting aside beliefs.

Kelly Says

In philosophy, 'bracketing' your assumptions sounds simple but it's incredibly hard—you have to pretend you've never heard of something and examine it as if brand new!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.