What does consilience mean?
Consilience names the coming together of separate things in a way that is harmonious, orderly, or mutually confirming. In general use, it can describe the convergence of observations, pieces of evidence, or lines of reasoning that support the same conclusion. In philosophy and the history of science, it has a more specific resonance: independent branches of knowledge may form a coherent unified account, as in the principle of consilience. The word is uncommon and sounds formal and intellectual, but its idea is accessible: truths established along different paths can reinforce one another. It therefore differs from simple agreement, which can occur between people or positions, and from coincidence, which need not imply meaningful support. Consilience is most often used as an abstract noun, usually in the singular, and is especially effective when discussing evidence, facts, disciplines, or scientific theories. Its rarity gives it a distinctive, slightly elevated tone, while the underlying concept remains relevant to debates about how knowledge is built and corroborated.
nounThe coming together of separate facts, observations, or lines of reasoning in a harmonious or mutually confirming whole; a coherent convergence.
- The harmonious or mutually confirming convergence of separate facts, observations, or lines of reasoning.
- The agreement or synthesis of previously distinct systems, disciplines, or bodies of knowledge.
"The consilience of the testimony and the physical evidence persuaded the investigators."
"The consilience of the testimony and physical evidence persuaded the investigators."
"The consilience of the scientific disciplines suggested that the two theories could form parts of a larger synthesis."
The plural is grammatically standard but rare, as the word is normally used as an abstract mass noun.
"The scholar traced several consiliences between disciplines that had once seemed unrelated."
Independent lines of evidence converging is the principle of consilience: a compact name for different routes arriving at the same truth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does consilience come from?
Consilience is a 19th-century English formation based on Latin consilium, meaning an assembly, council, or counsel, together with the suffix -ence. Its modern sense developed around the idea of separate facts or lines of inquiry coming together in a coherent whole. English relatives such as counsel, consult, consul, and consular preserve the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How consilience is actually used
Rare, formal, and intellectual in register, especially in discussions of evidence, scientific method, philosophy, and complex systems. It is usually an abstract noun and is not standard in casual English.
Easily confused with consilience
Consilience is a convergence of separate facts or lines of reasoning, whereas resilience is the capacity to recover from difficulty or change.