Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Outness
Out′ness
,Noun.
1.
The state of being out or beyond; separateness.
2.
(Metaph.)
The state or quality of being distinguishable from the perceiving mind, by being in space, and possessing material quality; externality; objectivity.
The
outness
of the objects of sense. Sir W. Hamilton.
Definition 2024
outness
outness
English
Noun
outness (usually uncountable, plural outnesses)
- (philosophy) The collective of things that are distinct from the observer.
- 1709, George Berkeley, Towards a New Theory of Vision:
- From what we have shewn it is a manifest Consequence, that the Ideas of Space, Outness, and things placed at a distance are not strictly speaking, the Object of Sight.
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- (philosophy) The property of being distinct.
- 2008, John Veitch, Hamilton:
- Distance means degree of outness of one thing from another; but it presupposes outness as a fact and a conception.
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Synonyms
- (property): otherness, externality, (rare) outwardness
Etymology 2
Popularised by Lynne Pearlman in her 1989 thesis Theorizing Lesbian Oppression and the Politics of Outness in the Case of Waterman v. National Life Assurance
Noun
outness (uncountable)
- The extent to which someone, particularly a lesbian, is open about her sexuality.
- 2008, Debra A. Hope, Contemporary Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identities:
- Couples who are discrepant on outness may have conflict around such issues as where to live (e.g. in an obvious gay neighbourhood), whether to bring a partner to work-related social events, and how to introduce their partner to family members.
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