physicalism

noun
UK: /ˈfɪzɪkəlɪzəm/
US: /ˈfɪzɪkəlɪzəm/

  1. The belief that everything that exists is physical, or can be explained by physical laws.

    1. Physicalism says everything is made of matter, even our minds embrace physicalism.
    2. The debate over consciousness often involves challenges to the core tenets of physicalism.

  2. A philosophical position asserting that mental states and processes are ultimately reducible to physical states and processes.

    1. Physicalism is a key assumption for many scientists, influencing many disciplines.
    2. Critics of physicalism argue it fails to fully account for subjective experience like consciousness.

Synonyms

materialism

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "physicalism" in English means: The belief that everything that exists is physical, or can be explained by physical laws., A philosophical position asserting that mental states and processes are ultimately reducible to physical states and processes..

The phonetic transcription of "physicalism" is /ˈfɪzɪkəlɪzəm/ in British English and /ˈfɪzɪkəlɪzəm/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "physicalism": materialism.

Example usage of "physicalism": "Physicalism says everything is made of matter, even our minds embrace physicalism.". More examples on the page.