A rare term for the study of fossils or the practice of thinking in outdated, rigid ways.
From fossil + -ism (Greek -ismos 'condition of'). The suffix -ism creates nouns describing doctrines, practices, or states of being.
This word almost never appears in modern scientific writing because 'paleontology' took over as the standard term—but 'fossilism' as a metaphor for stubborn, unchanging thought is having a quiet comeback in philosophy!
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