trivialism
A philosophical or critical term for an excessive focus on trivial details, often at the expense of more important matters. Used in discussions of bureaucracy, academia, or argumentation.
His argument falls into trivialism and loses sight of the essence.
役所の瑣末主義にはうんざりする。
I'm fed up with the trivialism of the government office.
Standard kanji form. 瑣末 means 'trivial' and 主義 means 'principle' or 'doctrine'.
Variant using 些末, a more common spelling for 'trivial'. Both forms are used.
Compound of 瑣末 (trivial) and 主義 (principle, doctrine). The term is a calque or translation of English 'trivialism', used in philosophical and critical contexts.