The practice or state of being an inferior imitator or follower rather than an original creator.
Derived from Greek 'epigonos' (one born after, inferior imitator) combined with the suffix '-ism' indicating a practice or system. The term evolved from ancient Greek criticism of artists and thinkers who merely copied their predecessors.
In ancient Greece, 'epigonism' was seen as the ultimate artistic insult—it meant you weren't creative enough to be original, just skilled enough to copy others, which Greeks thought was worse than being unskilled.
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