Philosophy Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [materialism]

Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds the fundamental basis of reality is matter and all mental states are caused by states of this material world.

Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds the fundamental basis of reality is matter and all mental states are caused by states of this material world.

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What Does Being Spiritual Mean?

When people say they are spiritual, although atheist, what do they mean, if they mean something at all? Can you claim being spiritual if you don't believe in gods, ghosts and the like? Is there a spirit, from a non-religious point of view, as a…
Quora Feans
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Thomas Nagels critique of materialism

By materialism I mean that all phenomena can be explained by matter and its interactions. What are the strongest arguments against materialism? I, being a former materialist, was convinced that materialism is untenable by a seminar on Nagels book…
Constantin K
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Can overthinking be harmful?

I'm 16 and constantly thinking about the likes of advertising, marketing, consumerism, materialism, narcissism and particularly social media. All of these topics are very negative to me although I feel as though I am over thinking them and I've…
user24113
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Is there a privileged link between materialism and natural sciences?

Is there a privileged link between materialism and natural sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, and physics), which study the physical world? (1) Extreme supposition: is it contradictory to do natural sciences without being a materialist? (2) Mild…
Starckman
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What is the argument that materialism has to assume it's false in order to prove that it's true?

I need help understanding this argument and also would like to know where it comes from. I don't really agree with the argument -- it sounded really off, but it caught my interest and so I'd like to understand it. I heard this argument being made on…
Cosmic Hawk
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Is materialism a philosophy accepted by the majority in western societies?

I was in a philosophy class and the teacher mentioned some philosophical ideas and asked us to raise our hands if we agreed with a certain statement. The overwhelming majority agreed with materialism as in: "Materialism is a form of philosophical…
Arjuna Deva
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