In philosophy and physics, 'immaterials' (plural) refer to things that are not composed of matter, lacking physical substance or tangible form. They encompass concepts, ideas, and entities existing outside the realm of the physical world, such as consciousness, thoughts, emotions, and spiritual experiences. These phenomena are often understood as abstract, intangible, and beyond the scope of direct scientific observation or measurement. The study of immaterials explores their nature, properties, and relationship to the material world, encompassing questions of mind-body dualism, the existence of souls, and the nature of reality itself. The concept is central to fields like metaphysics, theology, and certain branches of psychology.
Immaterials meaning with examples
- Philosophers debated whether the soul, considered an immaterial entity, could exist independently of the physical body. Its connection to the body and its potential for survival after death, made it a crucial focus in religious discussions. This central focus was an important part of the understanding of mortality and human consciousness which could not be easily examined.
- Artists often strive to capture immaterial aspects of life, like joy, sorrow, or inspiration, in their work. Music, for example, can evoke powerful emotional responses through the manipulation of sounds, transforming invisible vibrations into felt experience. The paintings used colours and lines to represent emotion in a medium which was itself, in a material sense, a physical entity.
- In computer science, data and software are essentially immaterial, existing as abstract information rather than physical objects, however they are still connected to physical hardware. Software is often considered to be just an idea encoded within a digital realm that produces an output via a material interaction on a computer's physical hardware.
- The concept of justice, though profoundly influential in societies, is immaterial. It exists as a moral and legal principle, shaping laws and human behavior, though lacking tangible form. Therefore laws are made, and often changed to reflect evolving views of this key philosophical concept.