Materialism

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We're not talking about that kind of materialist, Shadowgirl.

Did you even read the OP?

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint-Exuper

Sands metaphor about boxes is right.

"Shodowgirl" shows a general misconception regarding materialism: A materialist can even deny the need of wealth above a minimal standard of living which can be defined as quite low - such a materialist would follow the advice of Epicurus that a very modest meal with some friend can provide more pleasure than a big party with a lot of expenses.

Also: A materialist would not deny the existence of spiritual experiences: He would only interpret those as a special state of the brain, well measurable and not beyond a scientific understanding of the world.

In fact: Some Christians, faithful "Children of Holy Catholic Church", I remember from my young were more bonded to "material" wealth than I am as a hard-core atheist and materialist.



This definition I think needs a re-draft: When the historic materialism has been formulated it was relative clear what "matter" is. Today we need to understand, by the advancements of science, that this historic concept of matter was in fact a transcendent idea a priori and been replaced in science with a concept of "what is measurable".

So in my option a better concept would something like:

"The philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is something which can be measured and is subject to natural laws, which are valid in any case and therefore our minds are only product of the interaction of the measurable which gets through this special condition contious on it own solong this condition exist. The end of this condition can be called 'dead'".

All humans exist in a material world, and are subject to a form of materialism. Some doctrines proclaim humans free of our material bonds, but these are usually grounded in fallacies.

Consider the "Christian Science" movement, which posits that all sickness arises from spiritual causes. Most Christians don't subscribe to that nonsense, and when they are ill they turn to a 'physician' who tends to have insight into the physical/material basis of our lives.

No, all forms of materialism do not claim that there is only the physical. Materialism does not inherently reject the metaphysical.

hmm.... it's perectly possible to beleive in god and that things are the result of particles interacting with each other

It's not only possible, it's commonplace - which only indicates the weird mental acrobatics capable of the human mind.