Materialism Vs. Physicalism

[Straw Dog]

Hey everyone!

This thread is about how often people confuse the concepts of materialism with physicalism. At first glance they seem to be the same thing. However they do differ in some very important ways. In materialism, the only thing that exists is matter. Everything comes about and is composed of matter. This is often what spiritualists associate scientific findings with.

Physicalism, on the other hand, evolved from the physical sciences to include far more sophisticated notions of physicality than simple matter. It ultimately includes whatever is described under physics and not just matter. Energy, dark energy, dark matter, wave/particle relationships, space, time, physical forces, physical processes, structure, states, information, etc.

I agree totally with spiritualists that say that not everything is composed of matter. It isn't, but I maintain that everything is no more extensive than its physical properties.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I'm more of a fan of atomism... except have my own little theory in it that goes smaller than atoms

 

[Straw Dog]

I'm more of a fan of atomism... except have my own little theory in it that goes smaller than atoms

Who knows how small things get? I'm just waiting on the sciences to pan out since I'm not a scientist nor conducting independent science so I'm not in a position to know.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Who knows how small things get? I'm just waiting on the sciences to pan out since I'm not a scientist nor conducting independent science so I'm not in a position to know.

That's exactly my theory... well I suppose hypothesis. It is never ending small. You can always get smaller. So basically space is everywhere but there is also mass.

 

[Sunstone]

Hey everyone!

This thread is about how often people confuse the concepts of materialism with physicalism. At first glance they seem to be the same thing. However they do differ in some very important ways. In materialism, the only thing that exists is matter. Everything comes about and is composed of matter. This is often what spiritualists associate scientific findings with.

Physicalism, on the other hand, evolved from the physical sciences to include far more sophisticated notions of physicality than simple matter. It ultimately includes whatever is described under physics and not just matter. Energy, dark energy, dark matter, wave/particle relationships, space, time, physical forces, physical processes, structure, states, information, etc.

I agree totally with spiritualists that say that not everything is composed of matter. It isn't, but I maintain that everything is no more extensive than its physical properties.

We're largely in agreement then. Although I would add there appears to be no absolute confirmation that everything is no more extensive than its physical properties.

 

[Straw Dog]

We're largely in agreement then. Although I would add there appears to be no absolute confirmation that everything is no more extensive than its physical properties.

Yes, I don't know of any definitive way of proving physicalism. I maintain it nonetheless, though, because I feel that I have sufficient reason for doing so. As the physical sciences progress, more and more can be explained. The trend is there and I don't see any viable alternatives.

Imagine that the sciences could get to a point where they can start answering personal questions like, "We have a completely physical explanation for why you do the things that you do." "We have a completely physical explanation for why you chose the job that you did, for why you married who you did, for why you say that you think the world isn't entirely physical." Etc. I'm not saying that physics will get to this point, but I think it's very possible. If it does, it'll raise a very awkward question in the mind of the people who deny physicalism. "What is soul?" "What is this spirit we're talking about?" "What does it do?" If everything has already been explained in terms of the interactions of physical particles then many non-physical terms lose their meaning. We'd just have to start applying meaning to newer concepts that we might not be as comfortable with.

 

[atanu]

We're largely in agreement then. Although I would add there appears to be no absolute confirmation that everything is no more extensive than its physical properties.

Hi Sunstone

When he says everything, i suppose that he has to be correct.

 

[Darkness]

In modern parlance, materialism and physicalism are synonymous.

 

[Bob Dixon]

I'm more of a fan of atomism... except have my own little theory in it that goes smaller than atoms

Have you been keeping up with science past the year 1850? We have found sub-atomic particles, you know.