Well, since I have to create a blog for this film project, I thought I would give it a meaningful name. So now it's about to get heavy:
The word "materialist" has recently been re-purposed by people who support so-called "creation science" and intelligent design to refer to those of us who chose to use reason, rationality, and careful thought to understand the universe and our place in it, rather than deciding the conclusion first, e.g. god exists, and misrepresenting the evidence to support it. Clearly, they mean to take advantage of the connotations of uncaring greed and consumerism that "materialism" carries to demean people who choose not to incorporate supernatural beliefs into their lives. Knowing this, I have decided to proudly wear the label, dismissing the tangential connotations, because it so perfectly describes my view of the world. I contend that the only way to truly understand the world is to explore it using the senses and scientific extensions to our senses . After my project for Film 301 is complete, I hope to use this space to communicate my thoughts and feelings (even atheists have feelings) about being one of the most hated people in this budding theocracy of ours: a liberal, white, male atheist.
I can proudly say I am also a materialist! I look forward to many more ......(I honestly don't know what the formal term for a blog post (one that the original youngmaterialist posts)).....postings and to being enlightened/entertained on a regular basis.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel there is more than one way to skin a cat. You can call it evolution, god, a healthy life, a system of failures and success or whatever else exists in an individual's mind..... Anyone who denies that is inevitably caving towards the inclination to love and accept what's familiar and deny those who choose no to "wag the dog" so to speak. Personally I prefer mysticism on an individual level. It makes for a truly unique not always good but always educational experience, which in itself is intrinsically worthy.
ReplyDeleteIn response to "recently proposed": the term materialist has been used for a long time to denote those who believe that science can only to natural conclusions and must be based on what the sense experience, as you have expressed. Using the term to discuss those who live a 'materialist' life, is actually the more modern definition of the term.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the online etymology dictionary, you will find that the term, as related to a philosophy of pertaining to matter, actually appears c.1386. As the philosophy of materialism, which is essentially what you have stated, it appears in 1748.
Just thought it might be interesting to dig into the matter a little more.