Materjalismi

Materjalismi is a philosophical stance that asserts that matter is the fundamental substance in nature and that all phenomena, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. This perspective posits that only physical entities and their interactions exist, and that abstract concepts or spiritual realms are either non-existent or reducible to material processes. There are various forms of materialism, including reductive materialism, which claims that mental states can be fully explained by physical brain states, and non-reductive materialism, which acknowledges the distinctness of mental phenomena while still maintaining their dependence on material processes. Historically, materialism has been contrasted with idealism, which emphasizes the primacy of mind or spirit, and dualism, which proposes a fundamental separation between mind and matter. The development of scientific understanding, particularly in fields like physics, biology, and neuroscience, has often been seen as supporting materialistic explanations for the universe and life.