The nature of everything that exists is reduced to matter
With etymological origin in the German Physikalismus , physicalism is a term that refers to a theory that is part of the epistemology proposed by neopositivism . Physicalism, according to the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), aims for the human sciences to resort to the methodology of the physical sciences for their organization .
An epistemological theory
As you can see, to understand what physicalism is, you first need to understand several concepts. Let's start with the broadest: a theory is a set of principles that allow us to relate various phenomena or a hypothesis whose effects can be applied to a science.
In the case of physicalism, it is an epistemological theory . This means that it is linked to epistemology (the methods and precepts of scientific knowledge). Specifically, it is a theory of epistemology proposed by neopositivism , a philosophical movement that emphasizes the relevance of scientific methodology and language analysis.
everything is physical
Now we can focus specifically on the definition of physicalism provided by the RAE . For neopositivists, the human sciences (such as anthropology , psychology or history ) have to be structured following the methodology used by the physical sciences ( chemistry , physics ). This position is what is known as physicalism.
According to physicalism, scientific propositions must always be able to be translated into the language used by physics . Otherwise, they have no scientific meaning.
At a philosophical level, physicalism is based on considering that the nature of what exists is given by the material (the physical). Therefore, the universe can be reduced to matter .
Physicalism and monism
It can be stated that physicalism is one of the forms in which we find monism , a series of philosophical positions according to which the universe is constituted only by one substance. In Ancient Greece, this was known as arché or arjé , and represented the very beginning of the universe, or the element that gave rise to the emergence of all the others.
Within this group we can distinguish between materialist monisms and idealist or spiritualist ones. Basically, for the former, matter is the primary substance, while for the others, the principle is the spirit. There is also pantheism, a conception of existence according to which God was the beginning of the universe .
Today, materialist monism explains everything based on the matter that was formed after the so-called Big Bang , the point at which the universe itself and time were born. Among the most prominent monists we can mention the philosophers Parmenides, Anaximenes, Thales of MIletus, Marx, Berkeley, Spinoza, Anaximander and Hume .
The philosophy of mind
As its name indicates, this branch of philosophy focuses on the study of the mind. His relationship with physicalism is very close and has always been among his topics of greatest interest. When we say "mind," we include concepts such as sensations , perceptions, fantasies, emotions, beliefs, thoughts, and dreams.
Physicalism considers thought to be the result of physical processes.
For a phenomenon to be considered "mental" it is necessary that intentionality exists, that is, the power that the mind has to represent or identify with some object. If we think about the verbs "remember" and "desire", for example, they are never used on their own, but rather with a remembered or desired object. This goes far beyond grammar; It is about the fact that the mind is always directed towards something specific, so it cannot help but be intentional.
The connection between this branch of philosophy and physicalism may not be apparent, but it is supported by statements such as that " thought arises from the movement of nervous substances", one of the theories of the philosopher Henri de Saint-Simon .