materialism

   Materialism is a philosophy of the ultimate constituents of reality that generally postulates either (1) all that exists is material, or (2) all that exists is either material or dependent upon the material. The first view has an ancient pedigree in Greek atomism, but has always struggled with the 'location problem' for putative non-material entities such as universals and mental events. In this regard, the second view is appealing insofar as it allows non-material entities such as mental events, so long as they depend upon physical states. Both (1) and (2) raise the question of epistemic justification: why believe that everything is material or dependent upon the material?

   Sometimes 'naturalism' is used as a synonym for 'materialism'. Naturalism is also occasionally distinguished as the view that all reality will be finally explicable in a completed natural science. This view avoids the further worry that a future science might do away with concepts of the material altogether in favour of (say) forces or some heretofore unconceived reality. Even so, naturalism raises the same question of epistemic justification: why think that natural science is the standard of all knowledge? Is this not a case of unjustified scientism? While materialism is commonly associated with atheism, both Tertullian and Thomas Hobbes held a form of materialism, as do Mormons today.

   See Hobbes, Thomas; Tertullian, Quintus Septimius Florens; Russell, Bertrand Arthur William; science; science and religion

   Further reading: Beilby 2002; Brown, Murphy and Malony 1998; Craig and Moreland 2000; Papineau 1993; Rea 2002