ontological shock

English

Noun

ontological shock (countable and uncountable, plural ontological shocks)

  1. (philosophy) The state of being forced to question one's worldview.
    The discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence would trigger widespread ontological shock.
    • 1994, John E. Mack, Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens:
      Abductees also experience what I have called 'ontological shock' as the reality of their encounters sinks in.
    • 2025 November 2 (last accessed), “Let’s Get Real! Magritte and the Nature of Reality”, in baptistcenter.com‎[1], archived from the original on 1 May 2006, page 5:
      Magritte offers us ontological shock treatments to jar us out of our metaphysical slumbers, but proposes no satisfying alternative.

References

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