Materialism

Materialism is the theory that physical matter is the fundamental truth or reality and that all
beings, processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter only. It
excludes the existence of entities that are radically different from or superior to the matter of our
ordinary experience.
When we say Materialism, it is the preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts
and considerations with a disinterest in spiritual, intellectual or cultural values. It can also be
defined as the philosophical theory that regards matter and its motion as constituting the
universe, and all phenomena, including those of mind, as due to material agencies.
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing exists is matter or energy; that
all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of
material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance, and reality is identical with the
actually occurring states of energy and matter.
Materialism rejects the existence of God or gods on whom the universe would depend for
existence or mode of operation. This leads to atheism. Materialism also denies the angels or
spirit and it questions the notion of a soul, if taken to be immaterial entity separable from the
human body.
To further understand the concept of materialism, let me ask you a question.
What do you think of when you hear that someone is “materialistic”?
Perhaps we visualize them spending all their time in a busy mall, swiping multiple credit cards,
and carrying bags of clothes and accessories. Maybe it’s all to the soundtrack of Madonna’s
“Material Girl”. Today, the colloquial definition of materialism means owning plenty of
expensive items and valuing these over non-material things, like an experience or activity. But
this isn’t how the idea started out.
While extreme consumption may be what we associate with materialism today, the idea of
materialism has a long and dynamic philosophical history, which began over 2000 years ago in
the first millennium BCE.
The first materialists were the atomists in Ancient Greece. Democritus and Leucippus led a
school whose primary belief is that the world is made up of and is controlled by the tiny
indivisible units in the world called atomos or seeds. Accordingly, the world including human
beings, is made up of matter and there is no need to possess immaterial entities as sources of
purpose. Atoms simply comes together randomly to form the things in the world. As such, only
material entities matter.
In terms of human flourishing, matter is what makes us attain happiness. The material things we
possess give us ultimate happiness. We see this at work with most people who are clinging on to
material wealth as the primary source of meaning of their existence.