materialism

Definition of materialism in English English dictionary: Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns; The philosophical belief that nothing exists beyond what is physical (also called physicalism); {n} the doctrins of materialists; The affirmation that only material things exist, that there is no such thing as spirit In the eighteenth century, materialism countered the religious belief that there was a soul to survive the death of the body, and thus, that there was an afterlife Today materialism expresses itself in the effort to link neuro-science to conscious experience: thought is purely material behavior Materialism is a part of the belief system of some in the Enlightenment and of many scientists and others today It is a necessary working rule of science, without necessarily being a "belief" of all scientists, i e , scientific investigation assumes materialism for purposes of science, whether the scientist is a materialist or not; Belief that only physical things truly exist Materialists claim (or promise) to explain every apparent instance of a mental phenomenon as a feature of some physical object Prominent materialists in Western thought include the classical atomists, Hobbes, and La Mettrie Recommended Reading: Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Machine Man and Other Writings, ed by Ann Thomson (Cambridge, 1996) {at Amazon com}; Richard C Vitzthum, Materialism: An Affirmative History and Definition (Prometheus, 1995) {at Amazon com}; Materialism and the Mind-Body Problem, ed by David M Rosenthal (Hackett, 2000) {at Amazon com}; Hud Hudson, A Materialist Metaphysics of the Human Person (Cornell, 2001) {at Amazon com}; Jennifer Trusted, The Mystery of Matter (Palgrave, 1999) {at Amazon com}; and Physicalism and Its Discontents, ed by Carl Gillett and Barry Loewer (Cambridge, 2001) {at Amazon com} Also see OCP, ISM, David J Chalmers, BGHT, John Beloff, ColE, Robert Bass, DPM, noesis, and MacE; The view that everything that actually exists is material, or physical Many philosophers and scientists now use the terms `material' and `physical' interchangeably (for a version of physicalism distinct from materialism, see physicalism) Characterized in this way, as a doctrine about what exists, materialism is an ontological, or a metaphysical, view; it is not just an epistemological view about how we know or just a semantic view about the meaning of terms <Discussion> <References> J D Trout and Paul Moser; Materialism is the attitude of someone who attaches a lot of importance to money and wants to possess a lot of material things. the rising consumer materialism in society at large. + materialist materialists ma·teri·al·ist Leo is a materialist, living for life's little luxuries; The doctrine of materialists; materialistic views and tenets; the doctrine that all items in the world are composed of matter Because not all physical entities are material, the related doctrine of physicalism, claiming that all items in the world are physical entities, has tended to replace materialism; Genus: Ethical theory Differentia: Values consist only of material goods; A theory of ontology which claims that everything that exists is either a material thing (a thing having spatial characteristics), or as a function, quality, or property of a physical thing; Materialism is the theory that the only things that exist are material (physical) things: subatomic particles through to human bodies and their brains, and on through to stars, galaxies, and galactic clusters But beyond these things and their distinctive properties, there are no other sorts of things, e g minds or supernatural beings, in the world This technical sense must be distinguished from the more familiar, ordinary sense in which "materialism" is used to describe the greed of persons who are overly acquisitive of material possessions (See also "idealism" ); Materialism is the belief that only physical matter exists, and that there is no spiritual world. In metaphysics, the doctrine that all of reality is essentially of the nature of matter. In the philosophy of mind, one form of materialism, sometimes called central-state materialism, asserts that states of the mind are identical to states of the human brain. In order to account for the possible existence of mental states in creatures that do not share the human nervous system (e.g., octopuses and Martians), proponents of functionalism identified particular mental states with the functional or causal roles those states play with respect to other physical and mental states of the organism; this allows for the "multiple realizability" of the same mental state in different physical states. (Strictly speaking, functionalism is compatible with both materialism and non-materialism, though most functionalists are materialists.) As a form of materialism, functionalism is "nonreductive," because it holds that mental states cannot be completely explained in terms that refer only to what is physical. Though not identical with physical states, mental states are said to "supervene" on them, in the sense that there can be no change in the former without some change in the latter. "Eliminative" materialism rejects any aspect of the mental that cannot be explained wholly in physical terms; in particular, it denies the existence of the familiar categories of mental state presupposed in folk psychology. See also identity theory; mind-body problem; This term is used in two different senses: (1) The mentality of those who prefer material wealth, bodily comforts and sensuous pleasures over the "higher" intellectual and "nobler" spiritual aspirations of men; (2) The doctrine that all changes are brought about by material entities, processes and events, and that all human ideas, choices and value judgments can be reduced to material causes which one day will be explained by the natural sciences HA 17,154,193,216; TH 75,94,152; UF 28-33; a desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters; usually refers to the belief that only those things which can be perceived by the five senses exist; The doctrine that everything in the world, including thought, can be explained only in terms of matter The individual tendency to be more concerned with material, objects, than with spiritual or intellectual values; The type of monism that holds that only the physical is real; Material substances in the aggregate; matter; The importance a consumer attaches to worldly possessions, where at the highest levels possessions assume a central place in life and provide the greatest sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction; (philosophy) the philosophical theory that matter is the only reality; the idea that only matter is real; A monistic ontological theory which asserts that matter (physical substance) is all that is ultimately real in the universe; "An orientation emphasizing possession and money for personal happiness and social progress" (Ward & Wackman, 1981, cited in Moore & Moschis, 1982, p 9); any one of a family of metaphysical theories which view the universe as consisting of hard objects such as stones, very big or very small The theories seek to explain away such things as minds by saying they can be reduced to physical things or their motions Materialism is a very ancient idea There are other ideas; (philosophy) the philosophical theory that matter is the only reality a desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters; 1) a theory which holds that physical matter is the only reality 2) a theory according to which the highest values of living lie in material well-being; The tendency to give undue importance to material interests; devotion to the material nature and its wants; {i} preoccupation with material matters; belief that physical comfort is the highest value; corporealism
dialectical materialism: The concept of reality in which material things are in the constant process of change brought about by the tension between conflicting or interacting forces, elements, or ideas
materialistic: Of or concerning philosophical materialism
materialist: {n} one who denies spiritual substance
Materialistic: crass
dialectical materialism: The Marxian interpretation of reality that views matter as the sole subject of change and all change as the product of a constant conflict between opposites arising from the internal contradictions inherent in all events, ideas, and movements. Philosophical approach expressed through the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and later by Georgy Plekhanov, Vladimir Ilich Lenin, and Joseph Stalin, the official philosophy of communism. Its central tenet, borrowed from Hegelianism, is that all historical growth, change, and development results from the struggle of opposites. (In philosophical terms, a thesis is opposed by its antithesis, which results in a synthesis.) Specifically, it is the class struggle the struggle between the capitalist and landowning classes, on the one hand, and the proletariat and peasantry, on the other that creates the dynamic of history. The laws of historical dialectics are seen to be so powerful that individual leaders are of little historical consequence. Originally conceived as operating primarily in the social, economic, and political realm, the principle was extended in the 20th century to the scientific realm as well, with major effects on Soviet science. Marx and Engels stated their philosophical views mainly in the course of polemics and brief historical studies; there is no systematic exposition of dialectical materialism
dialectical materialism: social and economic theory espoused by Marx and Engels which states that the material basis of reality is constantly changing and that matter holds priority over mind
dialectical materialism: the materialistic philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
historical materialism: A major tenet in the Marxist theory of history that regards material economic forces as the base on which sociopolitical institutions and ideas are built
historical materialism: outlook which maintains that the influential factor on history is economics
materialist: {i} one who is preoccupied with material matters, one who believes that physical comfort is the highest value, person who supports philosophical materialism
materialist: someone who thinks that nothing exists but physical matter someone with great regard for worldly possessions
materialist: someone who thinks that nothing exists but physical matter
materialist: One who holds to the existence of matter, as distinguished from the idealist, who denies it
materialist: One who denies the existence of spiritual substances or agents, and maintains that spiritual phenomena, so called, are the result of some peculiar organization of matter
materialist: Someone who is materialistic
materialist: Materialist is used to describe things relating to the philosophy of materialism. the materialist view of nature and society
materialist: someone with great regard for worldly possessions
materialist: {s} of or pertaining to philosophical materialism; of or pertaining to people who support philosophical materialism; preoccupied with material matters, associated with the belief that physical comfort is the highest value
materialistic: marked by materialism
materialistic: disapproval If you describe a person or society as materialistic, you are critical of them because they attach too much importance to money and material possessions. During the 1980s Britain became a very materialistic society. concerned only with money and possessions rather than things of the mind such as art, religion, or moral beliefs - used in order to show disapproval
materialistic: conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class; "a bourgeois mentality"
materialistic: {s} preoccupied with material matters, associated with the belief that physical comfort is the highest value
materialistic: Of or pertaining to materialism or materialists; of the nature of materialism
materialistic: Being overly concerned with material possessions and wealth
materialistically: in a manner that is characterized by a preoccupation with material matters, in a materialistic manner
materialistically: in a materialistic manner; "one should not approach life materialistically
materialistically: In a materialistic manner

materialism

Hyphenation

ma·te·ri·al·i·sm

Turkish pronunciation

mıtîriılîzım

Pronunciation

/məˈtərēəˌləzəm/ /məˈtɪriːəˌlɪzəm/

Etymology

() material +‎ -ism

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materialism

Definition of materialism in English Turkish dictionary

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Definition of materialism in English English dictionary

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