immaterialism

The philosopher discusses immaterialism in his lecture.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Philosophical doctrine: "immaterialism" is the metaphysical theory that matter has no independent existence and that physical objects are merely perceptions or ideas in the mind. It is most famously associated with the 18th-century philosopher George Berkeley, who argued that to be is to be perceived (esse est percipi).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Berkeley's immaterialism denies the existence of material substance. (The philosophy that matter does not exist independently.)
  • The debate between materialism and immaterialism is central to modern metaphysics. (The argument about whether physical reality exists beyond perception.)
  • Critics of immaterialism argue that it contradicts common sense. (Opponents claim the theory is not intuitive.)

Advanced Usage

• "Berkeleyan immaterialism": a specific form of immaterialism developed by George Berkeley, often called subjective idealism.
  • Berkeleyan immaterialism holds that physical objects are collections of ideas perceived by minds. (The detailed version of the theory.)
• "Immaterialism vs. materialism": a classic philosophical opposition.
  • The immaterialism of Berkeley challenges the materialist assumption that matter exists independently. (The contrast between the two views.)

Variants and Related Words

• Immaterial (adj): not consisting of matter; having no physical substance; also, unimportant.
  • The concept of a soul is immaterial in the philosophical sense. (Not made of physical matter.)
• Immaterialist (n): a person who advocates or believes in immaterialism.
  • Berkeley is the most famous immaterialist in Western philosophy. (A follower of the doctrine.)
• Immaterialistic (adj): relating to or characteristic of immaterialism.
  • His immaterialistic arguments rely on the primacy of perception. (Pertaining to the theory.)

Synonyms

• Idealism: the philosophical view that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual.
• Subjectivism: the doctrine that knowledge and reality depend on the individual mind.
• Non-materialism: any philosophy rejecting the independent existence of matter.

Related Idioms

• To be in the mind: to exist only as a mental perception.
  • For an immaterialist, a tree falling in a forest is only in the mind if no one perceives it. (Existence depends on perception.)
• To see is to believe: a colloquial expression that aligns with Berkeley's idea that perception constitutes reality.
  • In immaterialism, "to see is to believe" is taken literally. (Perception defines existence.)