Materialism Is Not Just Metaphysically Mistaken But It Is Also Dangerous

Materialism has altered people’s metaphysical belief, economic focus and moral–and in large part ethical–standard, which has negatively affected the overall quality of life.  Materialism is not just a failed metaphysical theory but a dangerous pursuit.  It should be given up.

Materialism is attractive but flawed 

Materialism seems to fulfill the human intuition that there is a world independently existing of the human mind that all conscious beings share.  There is something permanent, stable and objective about it that human beings seem to be able to rely on.  However, materialism is false.  Despite its appearance, the theory is flawed.  As Bernardo Kastrup argues, materialism puts a substance into nature that it cannot prove to exist, it places this substance outside the mind and it tries to reduce the mind to this rather abstract version of substance it created.  Kastrup explains this using the metaphor of a painter who creates a self-portrait, learns to believe that he is really his self-portrait, and tries to explain how it is possible that he is really his self-portrait and not the painter who produced the portrait.  Basically, materialism projects matter into reality and then tries to convince everybody that he or she is not the self, the soul or the mind that each person experiences, but the body to which this self, soul or mind belongs.  Materialism falsely creates something extra in order to reduce the mind to it.

Besides the false metaphysical portrayal of reality, materialism is also dangerous.  It deeply affects people in a number of areas of their lives.

1. Metaphysical Belief and Preoccupation With the Body

The metaphysical belief that all the person is the body leads to preoccupation with the body.  For example, Carl Cederstörm and André Spicer argue that people suffer from “wellness syndrome”.  Wellness has become a central preoccupation that rose to the level of moral obligation.  People need to be strong enough, tough enough, thin enough, sober enough, perfect enough and beautiful enough.  They feel obligated to have the ideal body, since there is nothing else other than the body.  If the body is all there is, nothing else can be important.

Since materialism has nothing to offer other than the material body, people try to fill a void inside.  There is no soul to nourish, self to discover or mind to cherish.  The void is deep and it needs to be filled with something.  Since the body is offered as the only “thing” that exists, the body becomes the focal point.  The emptiness of materialism creates a dangerous preoccupation with the body that its metaphysical belief now advocates

2. Economic Focus

Since the material universe has nothing but matter in it, the goal of existence is defined solely in materialistic standard.  This creates an extreme form of capitalism and the pursuit of economical gain at a speed Jonathan Crary calls the “24/7 universe”.  While previous eras had busy times and down times for people, the current era has a built-in non-stop economic pace.  Most human needs have been turned into commodities.  Corporations can offer up junk food, specialty drinks, porn magazines, internet friendships, life coaches and even religious televangelists on a silver platter.  No area of life is ever exempted.  Naturally, the goal is to posses as much of the tangible reality as one can in the only life a person lives from birth to death.  Success is measured by the person’s bank account in this system because the higher the number on the account, the more of the tangible universe can be purchases and possessed. 

Of course, this economic focus pushes all other interests in the background.  Art is insignificant if it is not expensive.  Contribution to charity is only important if it leads to more brand name recognition and more revenue for a company.  Spirituality is great if it leads to more sales of yoga mats, religious scriptures and self-help books.  Everything is defined in terms of economics and nothing can rise above this materialistically defined universe.  All values are substandard to the ultimate value of materialism.

3. Moral and/or ethical standard

Since matter is the only form of reality, which is expressed through the body, and, since economic focus is the goal of human activity, which can be defined in terms of the number in someone’s bank account and ability to possess tangible items, happiness in this materially defined universe can only be ultimate defined in terms of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. This is the best people can do.  Whatever maximizes pleasure is good and whatever creates pain is bad or evil.  Since there is no God, no greater spiritual force, no enduring mind and no afterlife to create an alternative standard that can offer something more enduring, well-defined or absolute for moral and ethical standard, the pleasure and pain principle is all that is left.

Pleasure and pain principle based on materialism is all pervasive.  Corporations can maximally exploit their own employees to achieve their own maximal happiness and employees are willing to work to exhaustion to chase after their own happiness.  Ultimately, the system knows no boundary.  At the end, those exhausted people who cannot succeed in this system perceive themselves as a failure and give up.  According to Franco Berardi, suicide is on the rise as a result of this materialistically conceived system.  But the system destroys not just human lives.  Humanity is also facing an environmental catastrophe where even mother Earth is making her way to the exit door.  Since materialism cannot offer a moral/ethical standard for human beings that rises above the maximization of pleasure and minimization of pain, the end result is an egoistic pursuit that produces suffering, chaos and death.

The Final Verdict

Materialism is dangerous.  This philosophical theory has done a lot of damage beyond metaphysical misconception of reality.  It has created a belief that is body oriented.  It has forced people to chase after money and possession.  And, it has carved out an unsustainable moral/ethical system that leads to suffering, death and extinction.  Materialism needs to be replaced with something more valuable and more healthy for both people and the planet.  It is time to revisit the theory of philosophical idealism!

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Monika Mandoki, PhD