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Materialist and Spiritualist

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
could there be a middle ground between spiritualism and materialism?
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
I know a lot of people that identify themselves as 'spiritual' but not religious. They might even be materialists.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
I know a lot of people that identify themselves as 'spiritual' but not religious. They might even be materialists.


i myself am one but with an added ingredient. i believe in the force. like the three parts of physics creating particles/waves in a field.

i don't believe in a black and white opposed contrast. like the dao with the black and white encircling
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
could there be a middle ground between spiritualism and materialism?

Not for me.
I would think most spiritualist, not all, would accept the reality of matter.
I don't see many materialist accepting the reality of spirit.

The acceptance of spirit is not necessary to explain anything in nature.
All phenomenon, at least that we are aware of has a natural explanation.

The reliance on spiritual explanations is usually due to a lack of education/knowledge on a subject.
 

viole

Ontological Naturalist
Premium Member
could there be a middle ground between spiritualism and materialism?
It depends on what you mean with spiritualism. In my experience, that is mainly used as a pure negation of materialism with no independent semantics. If that is the case, then then answer is logically nope.

ciao

- viole
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Not for me.
I would think most spiritualist, not all, would accept the reality of matter.
I don't see many materialist accepting the reality of spirit.

The acceptance of spirit is not necessary to explain anything in nature.
All phenomenon, at least that we are aware of has a natural explanation.

The reliance on spiritual explanations is usually due to a lack of education/knowledge on a subject.
just a reminder, spiritual literally means mental. has to do with consciousness. kind of strange that a materialist would claim that the mental arise from material while manipulating matter.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
It depends on what you mean with spiritualism. In my experience, that is mainly used as a pure negation of materialism with no independent semantics. If that is the case, then then answer is logically nope.

ciao

- viole


its like claiming east is better/worse than west and vicey versa. the two shall never meet so long as they think in terms of absolute black and white. pity
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
just a reminder, spiritual literally means mental. has to do with consciousness. kind of strange that a materialist would claim that the mental arise from material while manipulating matter.

Since our mental processes are all matter based does this mean that spirit is a subset of matter?
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
its like claiming east is better/worse than west and vicey versa. the two shall never meet so long as they think in terms of absolute black and white. pity

Actually, I'm happy to consider spirituality as a physical based process.
Happiness, love, these desirable emotions are physical processes.
If we can understand the physical process of them we can begin to control them, produce them at will.
 

RestlessSoul

Well-Known Member
Since our mental processes are all matter based does this mean that spirit is a subset of matter?


That traces of consciousness are detectable as activity in the brain, does not necessarily confirm that consciousness originates there. An image of the moon detectable in a millpond originates neither from beneath the surface of the water, nor from the moon...
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
That traces of consciousness are detectable as activity in the brain, does not necessarily confirm that consciousness originates there. An image of the moon detectable in a millpond originates neither from beneath the surface of the water, nor from the moon...

When traces of consciousness are detected from a different source, I'll be happy to consider it as a necessary inclusion to any explanation.
Until then, the belief of a non-physical source is unnecessary.

However without the need of physical evidence to support your belief, what you believe is only limited by your creative ability.
Of course, I can create any belief and believe it is true, except I know how unreliable such beliefs are.
What you believe is more likely to be wrong than right, so why bother? :shrug:
 

Viker

Häxan
I make no significant distinction between the two. The spiritual and material are bound together, one intertwined with the other.
 

RestlessSoul

Well-Known Member
When traces of consciousness are detected from a different source, I'll be happy to consider it as a necessary inclusion to any explanation.
Until then, the belief of a non-physical source is unnecessary.

However without the need of physical evidence to support your belief, what you believe is only limited by your creative ability.
Of course, I can create any belief and believe it is true, except I know how unreliable such beliefs are.
What you believe is more likely to be wrong than right, so why bother? :shrug:


I think you fail to appreciate the difference between being open to possibility, and willing to believe any old nonsense. For spiritual or religious ideas to be persuasive, they must have substance and value. Which is not to say that they cannot be mistaken or misguided, but if you ever discover a methodology which is not susceptible to mistakes and misguidance, hold on to that because it will unprecedented in human history.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
could there be a middle ground between spiritualism and materialism?
I don't know.
I know that I can be a materialist and an idealist at the same time by separating the two views into their own realms. I use science for the material and philosophy for the ideal.
I think, by applying the NOMa principle, it should be possible to be spiritual and materialist.
 
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