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submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works to c/askscience@lemmy.world

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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[-] UNY0N@lemmy.wtf 3 points 6 days ago

I think this makes a lot of sense:

https://youtu.be/oYp5XuGYqqY

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 6 days ago

this seems more like metaphysics, or philosophy than actual science, this would be more appropiate in that discussion. you odnt want to mix religion into science.

[-] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

It would be science, because I'm asking if something that isn't physical in origin exists.

[-] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 1 points 6 days ago

It sounds like you're trying to use the wrong tool, though. Science is a great system for learning about the observable universe, but less so for other things. To put it another way, science is great for telling you how, philosophy is great for exploring why.

[-] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago

But aren't most philosophers Physicalists who just say "Listen to the science"

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[-] verdi@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago

No reason to doubt it.

[-] JackbyDev@programming.dev 1 points 5 days ago

It doesn't mean that there's no soul, god, or after life, just none that we can prove in any meaningful way.

[-] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago

But we cannot believe anything without evidence

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[-] lemming@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago

It also depends how you define physical matter.

If it's something you cam touch, then there definitely is, starting with neutrinos.

If you mean particles we know about, can describe and sort of understand, then there's dark matter, which is probably particles we don't know yet, but have several candidates we didn't manage to confirm or disprove yet. They can only interact by gravitational (and perhaps weak?) force.

If you mean something we know at least something solid about, there's dark energy, which isn't absolutely 100% certain that it exists, but is widely accepted.

If you mean something physics doesn't detect and try to explain, then obviously not.

[-] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago

How is Dark Matter non-physical?

[-] lemming@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

In the sense that it isn't particles we know about, can describe and sort of understand, as I wrote. Plus you can't touch it. You didn't say what you mean by physical, so I tried 4 different definitions I thought you might mean.

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

No free will would depend on everything being predeterminable. Which isn't. Look up quantum physics, if you missed it in school.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Which evolves deterministically undisturbed, or with complete randomness if you pick an interpretation that accepts the literal existence of measurement. Free will is very specifically neither of those.

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this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2025
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