What is the difference between microcosm and macrocosm?
microcosm | macrocosm | Antonyms |
Human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature.
* 1972', Rolf Soellner, ''Shakespeare's Patterns of Self-Knowledge'', Chapter 3: '''''Microcosm and Macrocosm: Framing The Picture of Man ,
(obsolete) The human body; a person.
* (William Shakespeare), , First Folio 1623, Act 2, Scene 1:
A smaller system which is seen as representative (of) a larger one.
* 1999 , Barry McIntyre, The Guardian , 16 Dec 1999:
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=October 1
, author=Phil Dawkes
, title=Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom
, work=BBC Sport
(ecology) A small natural ecosystem; an artificial ecosystem set up as an experimental model.
* 2009 , Jerry C. Smrchek, Maurice G. Zeeman, Chapter 3: Assessing Risks to Ecological Systems from Chemicals'', Peter P. Calow (editor), ''Handbook of Environmental Risk Assessment and Management ,
A complex structure, such as a society, considered as a single entity that contains numerous similar, smaller-scale structures.
(used absolutely ) The universe.
Macrocosm is a antonym of microcosm.
As nouns the difference between microcosm and macrocosm
is that microcosm is human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature while macrocosm is a complex structure, such as a society, considered as a single entity that contains numerous similar, smaller-scale structures.microcosm
English
(wikipedia microcosm)Noun
(en noun)page 43:
- The Christian humanists were emphatic in their demand that a man who wishes to understand himself must realize that he is a little world that reflects on a smaller scale the larger world of the universe.On the other hand, the whole idea of man as a microcosm was questioned by those who were not in sympathy with the Christian humanists.
- If you see this in the Map of my Microcosme , followes it that I am knowne well enough too?
- ‘In a sense, the problems experienced at Bristol are like a microcosm of what is happening in the NHS - experienced surgeons battling against difficult circumstances, with inadequate resources and in a culture where the finding of scapegoats appears to be put before the finding of solutions.’
citation, page= , passage=Steve Bruce's side have swung from highs to lows in what has been at best a wildly inconsistent start to the season. They experienced a microcosm of this within the opening 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light.}}
page 53:
- The method is relatively labour intensive (24-30 microcosms' are run) and more difficult to interpret when compared with other ' microcosm methods (Shannon et al. 1986; Cairns & Cherry 1993).