Meanings
plural philosophical sins
- countabledateduncountableChristianitySin that is said to contravene the natural moral order rather than offending God directly, for example because the sinner is ignorant of divine law or does not think of God in the act.
Coordinate term: theological sin
1 more example
For, as incompletely wrong acts, such as philosophical sins, or even theological venial sins,—say, of irreligion or disobedience to God,—render one liable to be punished, but not with the eternal loss of the last end; so it may be that there is a sufficient reward for imperfectly good acts, which, whether it is eternal or only temporary, is something different from the eternal enjoyment of the Infinite Good.
1910, Walter McDonald, The Principles of Moral Science, page 145 - countableuncountableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see philosophical, sin.
Origin
- Ecclesiastical Latinpeccātum philosophicum
- Englishphilosophical sin
Ultimately from Ecclesiastical Latin peccātum philosophicum, coined around 1600.
More words from Ecclesiastical Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French péché philosophique
- péché philosophiquesin against natural moral order
Cite this entry
philosophical sin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/philosophical%20sin
“philosophical sin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/philosophical%20sin. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “philosophical sin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/philosophical%20sin.
Source: philosophical sin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.