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Has there ever been a viable alternative to the phsycialist model of the universe? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works to c/askscience@lemmy.world
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Physicalism or materialism. The idea that everything there is arises from physical matter. If true would mean there is no God or Free Will, no immortal soul either.

Seems to be what most of academia bases their world view on and the frame work in which most Science is done.

Often challenged by Dualism and Idealism but only by a loud fringe minority.

I've heard pan-psychicism is proving quite the challenge, but I hear that from people who believe crystals can cure autism

I hear that "Oh actually the science is moving away from materialism" as well, but that seems to be more crystal talk as well.

So lemme ask science instead of google.

Any reason to doubt physicalism? Is there anything in science that says "Huh well that seems to not have any basis in the physical at all and yet it exists"

Edit: I have heard of the Essentia Foundation and Bernado Kastrup but since it's endorsed by Deepak Chopra I'm not sure I can trust it

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[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Basically, there's a little wiggle room left in our current model of the universe, but not much, and absolutely nothing close to human-scale. Dualism is nowhere to be found - we can observe the mind breaking or operating physically - and Idealism better be indistinguishable from materialism to work.

I hear that “Oh actually the science is moving away from materialism” as well, but that seems to be more crystal talk as well.

Yep. The grain of truth here is that materials at really small scale look quite different. At small scale, and in a specific, rigorously defined way. I don't want your crystals or dog THC, Karen.

[-] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Ah gee. So it was all "Crystal Talk" (I refuse to use the word "woo" because it carries racial implications)

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 23 hours ago

Wait, it does?

[-] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 1 points 16 hours ago

I've heard that it has Anti-Asian sentiment, because Woo sounds like Wu, or something. So I've tried to avoid using it

this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2025
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