Literary notes about eclectic (AI summary)
In literature, the word "eclectic" is employed to describe an approach that intentionally draws on a diverse array of influences and methodologies. Writers may use the term to depict a mindset that blends various traditions—for instance, in philosophical discourse where one might combine elements of ancient thought with modern insights [1, 2]—or to highlight a style marked by a curious mixture of ideas, tastes, and practices, as seen when contrasting educational or cultural orientations with a selective, non-dogmatic stance [3, 4]. Whether referring to the versatility of an artist’s palette or the varied sources a thinker consults, "eclectic" is a label that celebrates the fusion of disparate elements to create a richer, multifaceted whole [5, 6, 7].
- Philosophy had become extravagant, eclectic, abstract, devoid of any real content.
— from Phaedrus by Plato - The development of Stoicism corresponded to its eclectic origin.
— from The Religious Thought of the Greeks by Clifford Herschel Moore - But her parents had given her a thorough—if eclectic—education.
— from Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow - Why, he will be trying day and night to convert me to that eclectic farrago of his, which he calls philosophic Christianity.
— from Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face by Charles Kingsley - It was fortunate indeed that he had let his reading take a somewhat eclectic course, for medicine at this time seemed fated to play him false.
— from Jerome Cardan: A Biographical Study by W. G. (William George) Waters - Luther was an eclectic in his choice of music.
— from Handbook to the Mennonite Hymnary by Lester Hostetler - His art was eclectic, derivative, but his skill in putting together his materials was unfailing.
— from The Connecticut Wits, and Other Essays by Henry A. (Henry Augustin) Beers
