Definitionism

{{Short description|School of thought}}

Definitionism (also called the classical theory of concepts){{Cite book|title=A Brief Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind|author=Jack S. Crumley|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|date=2006|page=150|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=0-7425-4496-6}} is the school of thought in which it is believed that a proper explanation of a theory consists of all the concepts used by that theory being well-defined.{{Cite book|title=Philosophy of physics|author=Mario Augusto Bunge|publisher=Springer Science & Business|date=1973|page=135|location=Boston|isbn=90-277-0253-5}} This approach has been criticized for its dismissal of the importance of ostensive definitions.{{Cite book|title=Modern Methods and Materials for Teaching Science|author=Elwood D. Heiss|publisher=Read Books|date=2007|page=23|isbn=978-1-4067-3830-8}}