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Apathy (also called impassivity or perfunctoriness) is a state of indifference, where an individual has an absence of interest or concern to certain aspects of emotional, social, or physical life.
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History
Apathy etymologically derives from the Greek απάθεια (apatheia), a term used by the Stoics to signify indifference for what one is not responsible for (that is, according to their philosophy, all things exterior, one being only responsible of his representations and judgments).
Many Christians believe that the concept was then reappropriated by Christians, who adopted the term to express a contempt of all earthly concerns, a state of mortification, as (they claim) the gospel prescribes.
The word has been used since then among more devout writers. Clemens Alexandrinus, in particular, brought the term exceedingly in vogue, thinking hereby to draw the philosophers to Christianity, who aspired after such a sublime pitch of virtue.[1]
In popular culture
The concept of apathy became accepted in popular culture during the First World War, in which the appalling conditions of the Western Front led to apathycitation needed and shell shock amongst millions of soldiers. Many often had no emotion or thought process concerning killing and death in general.
Also, in Iran, this term has been widely used as an aftermath of Iran–Iraq War, and apparently, a contagious disease may have been widely spread in the fronts.
References
- ^ This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. [1]
- Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 3 September 2008, at 08:16.
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