Just Curious: What is the logical and scientific basis for accepting physicalism/materialism is fact

[osgart]

I often here physicalism and materialism asserted as being fact. However I never hear that point of view explained or expounded upon.

Is this conviction assumed to be true based on subjective or objective senses and experiences?

Is it rigorously tested?

Can it be falsified as an hypothesis?

Is it ever presented in a logical argument?

What is the scientific evidence for it?

Is there proof also that it's true?

Is this conviction based on intuition?

I'll hang up and listen.

 

[The Hammer]

I often here physicalism and materialism asserted as being fact. However I never hear that point of view explained or expounded upon.

Is this conviction assumed to be true based on subjective or objective senses and experiences?

Is it rigorously tested?

Can it be falsified as an hypothesis?

Is it ever presented in a logical argument?

What is the scientific evidence for it?

Is there proof also that it's true?

Is this conviction based on intuition?

I'll hang up and listen.

If I throw a rock at your head, will you attempt to dodge it or catch it? If so the physical world is a fact.

 

[osgart]

If I throw a rock at your head, will you attempt to dodge it or catch it? If so the physical world is a fact.

The position of physicalism/materialism means that nothing but the physical and material exists.

I obviously know the physical world exists. I'm referring to the philosophical position.

 

[The Hammer]

I obviously know the physical world exists. I'm referring to the philosophical position.

Then in my mind physicalism exists. But I get what you're getting at. I see Philisophical positions as not a one size fits all answer. Physicalism/Materialism works in some instances. But not for everything.

 

[osgart]

Then in my mind physicalism exists. But I get what you're getting at. I see Philisophical positions as not a one size fits all answer. Physicalism/Materialism works in some instances. But not for everything.

I don't think it explains everything in reality either.

 

[Heyo]

I often here physicalism and materialism asserted as being fact. However I never hear that point of view explained or expounded upon.

Is this conviction assumed to be true based on subjective or objective senses and experiences?

Is it rigorously tested?

Can it be falsified as an hypothesis?

Is it ever presented in a logical argument?

What is the scientific evidence for it?

Is there proof also that it's true?

Is this conviction based on intuition?

I'll hang up and listen.

Scientific materialism (as opposed to philosophical) is a pragmatic necessity and a self-restriction. You can't do science without an assumption of materialism and you can only do science with it. For questions about the immaterial there are philosophy, jurisprudence, religion and other faculties.

 

[osgart]

Scientific materialism (as opposed to philosophical) is a pragmatic necessity and a self-restriction. You can't do science without an assumption of materialism and you can only do science with it. For questions about the immaterial there are philosophy, jurisprudence, religion and other faculties.

That's perfectly understandable.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I often hear physicalism and materialism asserted as being fact.

Do you have any examples of people calling physicalism or materialism a fact? I don't.

The only time I see those terms mentioned is by theists frustrated by skeptics insisting on evidence before believing. The term is often soon followed by the term scientism. It's an objection to the skeptic's rejection of claims of the existence of the supernatural by theists for lack of evidentiary support, which the theists describe as outside the realm of scientific investigation.

I'm one of those people that dismisses such claims without evidentiary support, but I don't call myself a materialist. Nor any of the alternatives. I am agnostic on this, as I have no way to decide which of the four logical possibilities is correct: mind is a derivative of matter (materialism), matter is an epiphenomenon of mind (idealism), they are both derivative of a prior substance (neutral monism), and that matter and mind are separate categories of substance not derived from one another or anything else (dualism).

But I have been called a materialist many times by others, all theists, simply because I reject unsupported claims before believing anything.

 

[F1fan]

I often here physicalism and materialism asserted as being fact. However I never hear that point of view explained or expounded upon.

Is this conviction assumed to be true based on subjective or objective senses and experiences?

Is it rigorously tested?

Can it be falsified as an hypothesis?

Is it ever presented in a logical argument?

What is the scientific evidence for it?

Is there proof also that it's true?

Is this conviction based on intuition?

I'll hang up and listen.

Did you use your immaterial computer to post this?

 

[F1fan]

When you are hungry do you reach for a material loaf of bread or an immaterial loaf?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The position of physicalism/materialism means that nothing but the physical and material exists.

I obviously know the physical world exists. I'm referring to the philosophical position.

What do you mean by "the physical and the material"?

The way I understand the terms, materialism ends up being pretty much a tautology.

 

[savagewind]

If I throw a rock at your head, will you attempt to dodge it or catch it? If so the physical world is a fact.

Oh no! One time I threw a barbeque spatula at my then husband's head and he did neither. Does that mean that I am dreaming?

 

[fantome profane]

I often here physicalism and materialism asserted as being fact. However I never hear that point of view explained or expounded upon.

Is this conviction assumed to be true based on subjective or objective senses and experiences?

Is it rigorously tested?

Can it be falsified as an hypothesis?

Is it ever presented in a logical argument?

What is the scientific evidence for it?

Is there proof also that it's true?

Is this conviction based on intuition?

I'll hang up and listen.

Materialism (or physicalism) is itself a metaphysical proposition. It cannot be proven “scientifically”. That is like asking a mirror to reflect itself.

But it is a valid philosophical position nonetheless.

And as has already been pointed out practical materialism (methodology naturalism) is the basis of science. And most sane people operate on the materialistic assumption on a daily basis.

If you come home and find your window has been broken, or you find that the side of your car has been scratched, you assume that some physical object did that, a rock or a baseball broke your window, another car or a shopping cart scratched your car. You don’t assume magic or a curse.

Try taking your neighbour to court for placing a curse on your car and see how far you get. Even our legal system is based on practical materialism.

But you are correct. Materialism is not based on scientific evidence. Scientific evidence is based on (methodological) materialism. You cannot prove it science scientifically, any more than you can use a scale to weigh itself.

 

[osgart]

What do you mean by "the physical and the material"?

The way I understand the terms, materialism ends up being pretty much a tautology.

Matter and energy is all that exists. That there is no other way to discover reality but by the scientific method. That philosophy is useless about what truly exists.

 

[The Hammer]

Does that mean that I am dreaming?

Aren't we All?

 

[savagewind]

Aren't we All?

Maybe. I see the problem is that most of the time it seems very real. It is seldom that it seems that it isn't.

 

[The Hammer]

Maybe. I see the problem is that most of the time it seems very real. It is seldom that it seems that it isn't.

Dreams almost always feel "real", until we wake up.

 

[F1fan]

Matter and energy is all that exists. That there is no other way to discover reality but by the scientific method. That philosophy is useless about what truly exists.

It's kind of like you standing in a room and see only one dog yet you question this observation because there might be dogs you can't see. That's because we can't know if invisible dogs exist.

 

[F1fan]

Dreams almost always feel "real", until we wake up.

There have been several times in my life I've woken up really happy from fantastic dreams only to realize after a 20-30 seconds it was a dream. F*ck!!!!! Talk about disappointment.

 

[Trailblazer]

The position of physicalism/materialism means that nothing but the physical and material exists.

I obviously know the physical world exists. I'm referring to the philosophical position.

Do you mean the position that the material/physical world is all that exists, the position that atheists hold?