What is Materialism?

[Honest]

I know it is the belief of things (materials), and Marx used it as an alternative of religion, but still the term is not so clear to me, especially how can that be applicable?. I love my computer, am I materialist?? I hope you got my question!!

[LitNetIsGreat]

A typical definition for you:


A desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters.

I hardly think that you would class yourself as materialistic if you just love your computer. It is much more than that. It is when the desire for material things becomes the primary motivation of your life. :hat:

[Dodo25]

There are two meanings here:

1) 'philosophical materialism', meaning the 'belief' (or default assumption actually) that there is nothing but matter and energy in the universe, hence no supernatural gods, spirits, ghosts or dualistic souls.

2)materialism with often a negative connotation, meaning the addiction or dependence on luxury and money; greed. This is probably what Marx meant because he's a communist..

Loving your computer doesn't make you anything of the above.

[Honest]

A typical definition for you:



I hardly think that you would class yourself as materialistic if you just love your computer. It is much more than that. It is when the desire for material things becomes the primary motivation of your life. :hat:

Umm, I understand now. Thanks a lot!!

[Honest]

There are two meanings here:

1) 'philosophical materialism', meaning the 'belief' (or default assumption actually) that there is nothing but matter and energy in the universe, hence no supernatural gods, spirits, ghosts or dualistic souls.

2)materialism with often a negative connotation, meaning the addiction or dependence on luxury and money; greed. This is probably what Marx meant because he's a communist..

Loving your computer doesn't make you anything of the above.

I completely understood the first one. For the second one, I believe that Marx wants to replace the idea of religion with Materialism (as you explained in the first point) but can we consider Marx materialistic (addicted to luxury and money, as you wrote in the second)? Would you please clarify the second? thank!

[LitNetIsGreat]

In the second one materialism is religion, or rather it becomes the object of living, the main drive and motivation of an individual. Marx himself was not materialistic, quite the opposite really (in a sense) because Marx's communistic ideas essentially are based on a division of wealth and resources amongst the people, as opposed to the gathering of wealth by a minority of individuals.

[Honest]

Thanks, Neely :)

[whathappened]

I love my computer, am I materialist??

Yes, if you love it mainly because it is fashionable and nice to touch.

[Taliesin]

There are two meanings here:

1) 'philosophical materialism', meaning the 'belief' (or default assumption actually) that there is nothing but matter and energy in the universe, hence no supernatural gods, spirits, ghosts or dualistic souls.

2)materialism with often a negative connotation, meaning the addiction or dependence on luxury and money; greed. This is probably what Marx meant because he's a communist..

Loving your computer doesn't make you anything of the above.


Speaking as someone whose parents had to take courses with names like "Scientific communism" and "Dialectical materialism" in the university (and have told stories about it) I thoroughly disagree about Marx probably meaning the second. I am pretty sure that Marx spoke about the first one.

[LMK]

I know it is the belief of things (materials), and Marx used it as an alternative of religion, but still the term is not so clear to me, especially how can that be applicable?. I love my computer, am I materialist?? I hope you got my question!!

Is your computer the most important component of your life? Or are your relationships with others, your kindness and love towards others above all 'things' but where things are concerned, your favorite is your computer (for example)?

In my opinion, 'there is the rub'.

[blazeofglory]

I know it is the belief of things (materials), and Marx used it as an alternative of religion, but still the term is not so clear to me, especially how can that be applicable?. I love my computer, am I materialist?? I hope you got my question!!


Materialism is an idea, not the possession of a thing or loving it, the description is not the described and you are not what you think you are, a materialist or spiritualist; you are wired to think that way, the people you live with or listen to or observe in every walk of life fill your mind with rash and that does not mean you are rash. You are a fertile ground and a good planter can make a good orchard out of you and a bad one can turn you into a desert; but you are not the garden nor the desert. You are a bare mountain.

[angel92]

I believe you are not a materialist. I believe Materialism is the want of material things like you've all stated, but it is also the emotional attachment to all the things you own. A materialist would really not be satisfied about what he/she has. You on the other hand love your computer but I hope it is not an obsession type of love. That is what I believe but their is really no true meaning of what is the idea of materialism because we all construe things in the fashion we want to see them or believe them.

[abdultsitsopoul]

I think it comes mainly down to where you draw the line. Being interested in "things" is not a problem itself, but becomes a problem when the interest becomes too high

[Heteronym]

From what little I understand this matter, to appreciate what Marx meant with materialism, one must understand the debate between idealism and materialism raging through the 19th century.

Idealism is not just a belief in the life of the mind or concern with art instead of just basic needs. Idealism, historically, has seen matter as vile and brute. For idealists all of Mankind was rotten and worthless and nothing good came out of it. That was the sphere of God, who embodied everything good and pure. If you think this is true, some logical ideas follow it: namely that human beings are totally worthless and should live subjected to God and to those to claim to serve God. It also follows that since all that is matter is rotten, there's no point trying to improve the world. It doesn't matter because we'll either be rewarded with Heaven or punished with Hell. The best thing to do is to renounce your humanity, forget that you like to eat, drink, sleep, ****, hang around with friends, etc., and live like a hermit, in misery, chastity, abnegation, as distant from matter as possible.

For people like Marx, the socialists and the anarchists, this was utter nonsense. Men live in a world of matter, ideas are born from a physical organ called brain. They endeavoured to give the material world is rightful value back. The world is worth improving, goodness is not a miracle of God but something naturally practiced by all men, and enjoying the world through our senses - eating, ****ing, playing - is not a sin but only natural. Materialism then is about Mankind not being ashamed of being Mankind.

This may seem self-evident nowadays, now that religion barely has a grip on us, but over a century ago these matters were hotly debated all over Europe.