MATERIALISM
By: Austin, Joshua, Victoria and Shanique
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Table of Contents
What is Materialism?
Who?
Faces of Materialism
Faces of Materialism Continued
Citations
WHAT IS MATERIALISM?
• Materialism is the belief that anything and everything can be explained by
matter. A persons thoughts, consciousness and personality can all be
explained by materialism.
• Materialism is the eldest philosophical tradition in western civilizations. It
originates from the pre-Socratics in 6th and 5th centuries before Christian
era.
• Many people have concluded that materialism is known as more scientific
than philosophical.
• Atheism is a necessary consequence of the premise of materialism. If you
believe that everything can be explained by matter, there is no higher being.
• All philosophies are said to fall into two categories - Idealism and Materialism.
• Materialism: Matter is primary, mind/spirit is secondary.
WHO?
All philosophies are said to fall into two
Other works related to Materialism:
categories - Idealism and Materialism.
“The Nature of Things” – Lucretius
Materialism: Matter is primary, mind/spirit
is secondary.
“The System of Nature” – Paul d’Holbach
Thomas Hobbes was said to be the most
talked about and remembered materialist.
• Best known for his political thought,
social and political order.
• Views still used today
“Force and Matter”- Ludwig Buchner
“An Affirmative History and Definition” –
Richard Vitzthum
“Neurophilosophy” – Paul and Patricia
Churchland
“Thought is to the brain what urine is the kidneys”
FACES OF MATERIALISM
• Thomas Hobbes as well as Patricia and Paul Churchland are all
philosophers who believed in materialism.
• How did they come to the conclusion that the world is made up of
all matter?
- They came to the conclusion that matter is what we can
observe therefore, everything including a persons thoughts,
consciousness and personality, is composed of matter.
• Hobbes believed that humans are like machines and scientists today
who have analyzed human beings, have described them as a
sophisticated piece of biochemical and biomechanical machinery.
FACES OF MATERIALISM (CONT’D)
• Lucretius
- Richards poem “The Nature of Things” was the first poem to
distinguish materialism from other concepts of philosophy in the 20 th century.
• Paul d’Holbach
- Had speeches and gathered people to listen, most fled the
presentation from the audacity of his speculations.
• Ludwig Buchner
- Was forced to resign as a professor because his views of
materialism created an uproar for its rejection of God, creation, religion, and
free will. Most popular philosopher in the 19 th century.
WORKS CITED
infidels.org/library/modern/richard_vitzthum/materialism.html
marxists.org/archive/fromm/works/1961/mon/ch02.htm
britannica.com/Ebchecked/topic/369034/materialism
Class textbook