Creating a workable combination of previously conflicting attitudes by regarding their principles in a less rigid and more conciliatory manner. Also, applying such an approach to any field of endeavour, as eclecticism in art or in political coalitions, in which elements are juxtaposed on the basis of their appeal and surface acceptability, and which lack coherence in terms of their derivation; in matters of taste, implying inconsistency or unconstrained selectivity.
In Western thought, eclecticism made its appearance before 129 BC; it recurs throughout the history of Western philosophy in particular association with experiential schools. It is the explicit or implicit acceptance of a number of philosophical approaches (logical, empirical, epistemological, etc), some of which may be contradictory, in order to adhere to their outcomes, particularly in the domain of ethical and political philosophy.
Economic development, as seen in South Korea, Hong Kong or Taiwan, is based in an extreme eclecticism of approach that combines traditional and modern, rural and urban, capitalistic and socialistic economic schemes. Contemporary coalitions, such as the Anti-missile movement across Europe, are comprised of people concerned about a wide spectrum of social issues, not only the presence of missiles. Popular music and dance draws from a very wide spectrum of seemingly irreconcilable sources from the Caribbean to Bach to create rhythms and movements which seem familiar to young people whose customary musical experience is very diversified.