Dictionary

ontological shock en · NOUN

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The state of being forced to question one's worldview.
   • Abductees also experience what I have called 'ontological shock' as the reality of their encounters sinks in. 1994, John E. Mack, Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens:
   • The discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence would trigger widespread ontological shock.
   • Magritte offers us ontological shock treatments to jar us out of our metaphysical slumbers, but proposes no satisfying alternative. 2025 November 2 (last accessed), “Let’s Get Real! Magritte and the Nature of Reality”, in baptistcenter.com, archived from the original on 01 May 2006, page 5:

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