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.
According to philosophical materialism, mind and consciousness are caused by
physical processes, such as the neurochemistry 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 (e.g. spacetime, physical energies and forces, and exotic matter).
Thus, some prefer the term physicalism to materialism, while others use the terms as if
they were synonymous.
Materialism is supported by modern science, specifically neuroscience, which has
consistently demonstrated the connection between physical processes in the brain
and mental states and consciousness. Philosophies traditionally opposed or largely
historically unreconciled to 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), and his philosophy promulgated atomism, while Platonism taught roughly
the opposite, despite Plato's teaching of Zeus as God.