Nonmaterialist

Nonmaterialist is a broad philosophical term for a person or doctrine that denies reality is exhausted by the material. In metaphysics and philosophy of mind, nonmaterialists hold that at least some fundamental aspects of reality—such as minds, consciousness, or abstract objects—are not physical in nature or are not reducible to physical properties. The label contrasts with materialism (physicalism), which posits that everything that exists can be fully explained in physical terms.

Within this broad category, several positions are recognized. Substance dualism holds that mind and body are distinct substances, with mental phenomena existing independently of physical matter. Property dualism maintains that mental properties are nonphysical properties of physical substances. Idealism argues that only minds or mental constructs are fundamental, with physical objects dependent on or illusionary. Contemporary versions include panpsychism, which attributes some form of mental aspect to all matter, and realism about abstract objects or values, which treats mathematics or ethics as real nonphysical contents. In religious or spiritual contexts, nonmaterialist outlooks may align with belief in an immaterial soul or transcendent beings that constitute or govern reality.

Nonmaterialist positions face challenges such as explaining causal interaction between nonphysical and physical domains, and accounting for the empirical success of physical science. Proponents argue that material explanations alone cannot fully capture consciousness, intentionality, or normative features like value or mathematical truth, offering various responses to the interaction problem and epistemic concerns.

Today, nonmaterialist theories remain a minority in analytic philosophy but continue to influence debates in philosophy of mind, metaphysics, ethics, and philosophy of religion. They are typically discussed under channels such as dualism, idealism, and realism about abstract objects.