"Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds that matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions of material things."
The belief that everything, including the mind, can be explained in terms of physical matter and natural phenomena alone.
Materialism: Materialism is a philosophical belief that material objects and physical processes are the only things that exist. According to materialists, mental states, such as thoughts, emotions, and consciousness, are nothing but complex physical processes in the brain.
Dualism: Dualism is the philosophical belief that the mind and body are separate entities. Dualists typically believe that the mind is a non-physical, spiritual entity, while the body is a physical object.
Reductionism: Reductionism is the view that complex systems can be explained in terms of their constituent parts, and that higher-level phenomena can be reduced to lower-level phenomena.
Emergentism: Emergentism is the idea that complex systems can exhibit properties that are not reducible to their constituent parts. According to this view, mental phenomena, such as consciousness, emerge from the physical interactions of the brain's neural networks.
Physicalism: Physicalism is a philosophical position that holds that everything that exists is physical. According to physicalism, all mental states and processes can be explained in terms of physical processes in the brain.
Qualia: Qualia are subjective experiences, such as the taste of chocolate or the color red. Materialists typically seek to explain qualia as the result of physical processes in the brain.
Intentionality: Intentionality is the quality of being about something. According to materialists, intentionality is a property of mental states that can be explained in terms of their physical structure and function.
Consciousness: Consciousness is the state of being aware of one's surroundings and experiences. Materialists seek to explain consciousness as the result of physical processes in the brain.
Mind-body problem: The mind-body problem is the philosophical problem of how the mind and body interact with each other. Materialists typically view the mind-body problem as a physical problem that can be solved through scientific investigation.
Neuroscience: Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, including the brain and its functions. Materialists often look to neuroscience to provide insights into the physical basis of mental phenomena.
Physicalism: The view that the physical world is all that exists and that mental states and processes can be explained in terms of physical properties and laws.
Reductionism: The view that complex systems and phenomena can be reduced to simpler or more fundamental components, such as physical or chemical processes.
Eliminative Materialism: The view that common-sense mental concepts (such as beliefs, desires, and emotions) do not actually exist and should be eliminated from scientific explanations of behavior.
Behaviorism: The view that mental states and processes can be identified and studied only through observable behavior, rather than internal mental states or processes.
Identity Theory: The view that mental states and processes are identical to, or can be completely explained by, the physical states and processes of the brain.
Functionalism: The view that mental states and processes can be explained in terms of their functional roles in cognitive systems, rather than specific physical properties or even neurological architecture.
Analytical behaviorism: The view that any talk of "mental states" or "mental events" is really just talking about observable behavior.
Anomalous Monism: By the philosopher Donald Davidson. It is argued that mental states are linked in a law-like way with physical states, however not reducible to physical states.
Neurobiological Materialism: The view that mental states and processes can be fully explained in terms of the physical and biological mechanisms of the brain.
Non-Reductive Materialism: The view that mental states are an irreducible part of reality, however they still exist and can affect other physical events without being reducible to them.
Emergentism: The view that mental states and processes emerge from physical and biological complexity, but can't be reduced to them.
Panpsychism: The view that all matter has an innate consciousness, and that everything is therefore imbued with a mental dimension or subjective experience.
"According to philosophical materialism, mind and consciousness are by-products or epiphenomena of material processes (such as the biochemistry of the human brain and nervous system), without which they cannot exist."
"Materialism directly contrasts with idealism, according to which consciousness is the fundamental substance of nature."
"Materialism is closely related to physicalism—the view that all that exists is ultimately physical."
"Philosophical physicalism has evolved from materialism with the theories of the physical sciences to incorporate more sophisticated notions of physicality than mere ordinary matter."
"Philosophies traditionally opposed or largely historically unreconciled to the scientific theories of materialism or physicalism include idealism, pluralism, dualism, panpsychism, and other forms of monism."
"Epicureanism is a philosophy of materialism from classical antiquity that was a major forerunner of modern science."
"Though ostensibly a deist, Epicurus affirmed the literal existence of the Greek gods in either some type of celestial 'heaven' cognate from which they ruled the Universe (if not on a literal Mount Olympus)."
"His philosophy promulgated atomism, while Platonism taught roughly the opposite, despite Plato's teaching of Zeus as God."
"Materialism holds that matter is the fundamental substance in nature."
"Mind and consciousness are results of material interactions of material things."
"Without material processes, such as the biochemistry of the human brain and nervous system, mind and consciousness cannot exist."
"Some prefer the term physicalism to materialism, while others use the terms as if they were synonymous."
"Philosophical physicalism has evolved to incorporate more sophisticated notions of physicality than mere ordinary matter. These include spacetime, physical energies and forces, and dark matter."
"Idealism, pluralism, dualism, panpsychism, and other forms of monism have been traditionally opposed or largely historically unreconciled to the scientific theories of materialism or physicalism."
"Materialism directly contrasts with idealism."
"Epicureanism, a philosophy of materialism, taught atomism, while Platonism taught roughly the opposite."
"According to idealism, consciousness is the fundamental substance of nature, contrasting with materialism."
"Philosophical physicalism holds that all that exists is ultimately physical."
"According to philosophical materialism, matter is the fundamental substance in nature."