Physicalism

In metaphysics, physicalism is the view that everything is physical, that there is nothing over and above the physical, and that everything supervenes on the physical. It stands in direct opposition to idealism, which asserts that reality arises from the mind. Physicalism is a form of ontological monism—a single-substance account of the nature of our universe's reality (physicalism is open to the possibility of different universes with different physics, and is open to the possibility of causal openness via a foundational logical mechanism or mechanisms), in contrast to "two-substance" (mind–body dualist) or "many-substance" (pluralist) views. Physicalism is closely related to naturalism, though important distinctions exist between them. Physicalism is also closely related to materialism, and has evolved from materialism with advancements in the physical sciences in explaining observed phenomena. The terms "physicalism" and "materialism" are often used interchangeably, but can be distinguished on the basis that physics describes more than just matter. Physicalism encompasses matter, but also energy, physical laws, space, time, spacetime, exotic matter, structure, physical processes, information, state, and forces, among other things, as described by physics and other sciences. According to the PhilPapers Survey 2020, physicalism is the majority view among philosophers, at 51.9%, but there is also significant opposition to it. Outside of philosophy, physicalism can refer to the preference or viewpoint that physics is the best or only way to render truth about the world or reality.