Linearisti

Linearisti is an Italian plural term used to refer to adherents of linearism, a broad notion applied across disciplines to denote a preference for linear explanations, relationships, or trajectories. The exact meaning varies by field, and the term is not a formal school but a descriptive label used in analysis and critique.

In philosophy and social theory, linearist perspectives portray social, political, and historical change as unfolding along a single dimension or along additive, straight-line progress. Critics argue that such views oversimplify complex causality, downplay feedback loops, and ignore nonlinear dynamics.

In science and mathematics, the term is sometimes used to describe researchers who emphasize linear models, linear equations, and linear optimization. Linearists favor methods that assume proportional responses and dimensional additivity, while many phenomena exhibit nonlinear or interactive effects that require more flexible models.

In historical and political discourse, linearism is sometimes invoked to characterize modernization narratives or development theories that imply uniform progress. Linearisti in this sense may be contrasted with multilinear, cyclic, or systems-based interpretations of development.

The term remains most common in Italian-language texts and is rarely used as a formal designation. It typically appears in discussions about methodological choices, theoretical commitments, or critiques of oversimplified modeling of reality.

See also: linearity, nonlinearity, linear model, systems theory, modernization theory.