What is "naturism"

Naturism \Na"tur*ism\, n. (Med.) The belief or doctrine that attributes everything to nature as a sanative agent.

n. 1 The belief in or practice of going nude or unclad in social and usually mixed-gender groups, specifically either in cultures where this is not the norm or for health reasons. 2 The belief or doctrine that attributes everything to nature as a sanative agent.

n. going without clothes as a social practice [syn: nudism]

Naturism, sometimes called Nudism, is a cultural and political movement advocating social nudity in private and public spaces, and also a lifestyle of living in harmony with nature and others as expressed through social nudity.

Naturism is often confused with:

• Naturalism (literature), a literary movement in the late 19th century
• Naturalism (philosophy), which holds that the scientific method is the only effective means of investigating reality
• Metaphysical naturalism, any worldview where the world may be studied through the natural sciences and where the supernatural does not exist
• Nature worship, religious, spiritual and devotional practices that focus on natural phenomenon