I've noticed that during discussions of materialism & physicalism, people who aren't materialists or physicalists tend to muddle a number of issues together.
Consider two questions:
1. What should we believe exists?
2. How many categories should we group the things we believe exist into?
The question of materialism vs. immaterialism - if we go by dictionary and encyclopedia definitions - only focuses on question #2: materialists group all the things they believe in into one category, while immaterialists group things into two or more categories.
Theoretically, any given "immaterial" thing that an immaterialist believes in could also be believed in by a materialist; the materialist would just say that the thing is material.
... so why does every discussion about materialism vs. immaterialism end up focusing on what things each side believes in or not?
Why do discussions about question 2 virtually always end up about question 1? Is there something inherent in saying "I'll divide all the things I believe in into two categories" that implies "I'm going to have lower standards of evidence than people who put all the things they believe in into a single category"? If not, what's going on?
Consider two questions:
1. What should we believe exists?
2. How many categories should we group the things we believe exist into?
The question of materialism vs. immaterialism - if we go by dictionary and encyclopedia definitions - only focuses on question #2: materialists group all the things they believe in into one category, while immaterialists group things into two or more categories.
Theoretically, any given "immaterial" thing that an immaterialist believes in could also be believed in by a materialist; the materialist would just say that the thing is material.
... so why does every discussion about materialism vs. immaterialism end up focusing on what things each side believes in or not?
Why do discussions about question 2 virtually always end up about question 1? Is there something inherent in saying "I'll divide all the things I believe in into two categories" that implies "I'm going to have lower standards of evidence than people who put all the things they believe in into a single category"? If not, what's going on?