I want to begin this article with the assumption that reality consists entirely of physical things and the forces which bind them. That is to say, I will assume the truth of materialism: the idea that the only things that ultimately exist are matter, energy, and physical forces. I will argue that this is consistent with a ‘materialistic compatibilism’ which preserves some sense of freedom and responsibility, and that this implies a positive conception of political and social liberty.
You might wonder what on earth might possess me to want to start with something like that, but as I unpack it, I hope you’ll see that it makes sense.
Reality Consists of Physical Things
A materialist view of the world might strike you as characteristically modern and Western. In fact, it isn’t quite so modern, as Democritus was talking about reality consisting of ‘atoms and the void’ 2,500 years ago. You might be itching to tell me that the idea is not originally a Western one, either. Nevertheless, let’s acknowledge that, for most of history, most people have lived with an explicitly dualist understanding of reality: they’ve thought that the world consists of what we might call ‘lumps of stuff’ on the one hand, and minds, spirits, or souls on the other. Yet what a great number of us think these days is that consciousness is not some non-physical thing, but something physical which emerges from the processes of the brain.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2023 / January 2024-Ausgabe von Philosophy Now.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2023 / January 2024-Ausgabe von Philosophy Now.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Who's Watching Who?
Grant Bartley tells a terrifying tale of privacy, paranoia and popular culture.
M.M. Bakhtin (1895-1975)
Vladimir Makovtsev asks: M.M. Bakhtin, philosopher or philologist?
Kant & Love
Ivan lyer has a beautiful Kantian understanding of love.
Kant the (P)Russian Philosopher?
Robert R. Clewis considers present implications of Kant’s Russian connections.
What You Need to Read Before You Read Kant
22nd April 2024 is the 300th birthday of Immanuel Kant.
The Healing of Philosophy
John Clark, MD, says our worship of the intellect has become pathological.
When to Hold Your Friends' Feet to the Fire
Jordan Myers argues, against Christine Korsgaard, that we shouldn't always hold our friends morally responsible.
How to Be an Antiracist Consequentialist
Nathaniel Goldberg and Chris Gavaler consider lbram X. Kendi’s requirements for being antiracist.
Shakespeare: Folly, Humanism & Critical Theory
Sam Gilchrist Hall! surveys folly and wisdom in Shakespeare's world and beyond.
Don Quixote & Narrative Identity
Inés Pereira Rodrigues asks, are we always or ever) who we Say we are?