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Single Idea 3454

[filed under theme 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 6. Physicalism ]

Full Idea

One can accept the obvious facts of physics, that the world consists entirely of physical particles in fields of force.

Gist of Idea

Reality is entirely particles in force fields

Source

John Searle (The Rediscovery of the Mind [1992], Intro)

Book Ref

Searle,John R.: 'The Rediscovery of the Mind' [MIT 1999], p.-5

A Reaction

I agree with this proposal, with the cautious proviso that physics may discover further basic aspects to reality. The only obstacles to this view are possible divine and mental substances, neither of which is supported by adequate evidence.

The 20 ideas with the same theme [reality consists entirely of material things in space-time]:

1641 Some alarming thinkers think that only things which you can touch exist [Plato]
11256 Materialists cannot explain change [Aristotle, by Politis]
14048 Astronomical movements are blessed, but they don't need the help of the gods [Epicurus]
7559 Every part of the universe is body, and non-body is not part of it [Hobbes]
5287 Philosophical problems are resolved into empirical facts [Marx/Engels]
18438 Every worldly event, without exception, is a redistribution of microphysical states [Quine]
10243 My ontology is quarks etc., classes of such things, classes of such classes etc. [Quine]
3454 Reality is entirely particles in force fields [Searle]
3437 'Physical facts determine all the facts' is the physicalists' slogan [Kim]
15318 Gravitational and electrical fields are, for a materialist, distressingly empty of material [Harré/Madden]
8580 Materialism is (roughly) that two worlds cannot differ without differing physically [Lewis]
16054 Physicalism needs more than global supervenience on the physical [Horgan,T]
16055 Materialism requires that physics be causally complete [Horgan,T]
7855 Some suggest that materialism is empty, because 'physical' cannot be properly characterized [Mellor/Crane, by Papineau]
6504 For physicalists, the only relations are spatial, temporal and causal [Robinson,H]
16048 Physicalism says in any two physically indiscernible worlds the positive facts are the same [Chalmers, by Bennett,K]
16060 Nonreductive materialism says upper 'levels' depend on lower, but don't 'reduce' [Lynch/Glasgow]
16064 The hallmark of physicalism is that each causal power has a base causal power under it [Lynch/Glasgow]
14909 Physicalism is 'part-whole' (all parts are physical), or 'supervenience/levels' (dependence on physical) [Ladyman/Ross]
16049 Definitions of physicalism are compatible with a necessary God [Bennett,K]