Philosophy 101: Materialism

In common usage, materialism describes the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of those who place an above average concern or priority on material goods (usually luxurious, cutting edge, or conspicuous) over other values. However, in philosophy, the term "materialism" refers to a school of thought in opposition to idealism, vitalism, dualism, and other metaphysical spheres of thought that posits a multi-lateral existence throughout the universe. Philosophical materialism is in some ways related to the aforementioned common-use terminology in that it places an emphasis on the physical realm. However, rather than attempting to describe an individual's value judgments, it focuses on the concept that there is only one basic substance that makes up the entire universe - physical matter.

Unlike the philosophies of most religions or those which subscribe to some view of a paradoxical link between the spiritual and the physical world; materialism posits that only that which can be observed and experienced empirically in the physical realm can be said to exist. Adopting a materialist conception of the world has drastic consequences for other areas of one's view on life, including morality, religion, epistemology, aesthetics, and so forth. It should be noted that holding a materialistic view of the world (in terms of philosophy) does not mean that an individual is materialistic in the sense that they value material commodities or goods over other components of their life.