formalism describes an emphasis on form over content or meaning in the a...

Formalism.

excessive adherence to prescribed forms.

"academic dryness and formalism"

2.

a description of something in formal mathematical or logical terms.

"there is a formalism which expresses the idea of superposition"

 

The term formalism describes an emphasis on form over content or meaning in the arts, literature, or philosophy. A practitioner of formalism is called a formalist. A formalist, with respect to some discipline, holds that there is no transcendent meaning to that discipline other than the literal content created by a practitioner. For example, formalists within mathematics claim that mathematics is no more than the symbols written down by the mathematician, which is based on logic and a few elementary rules alone. This is as opposed to non-formalists, within that field, who hold that there are some things inherently true, and are not, necessarily, dependent on the symbols within mathematics so much as a greater truth. Formalists within a discipline are completely concerned with "the rules of the game," as there is no other external truth that can be achieved beyond those given rules. In this sense, formalism lends itself well to disciplines based upon axiomatic systems.

In religion.

Formalism in religion means an emphasis on ritual and observance over their meanings. Within Christianity, the term legalism is a derogatory term that is loosely synonymous to religious formalism.