Physicalistic

Physicalistic refers to a philosophical stance or worldview that emphasizes the fundamental importance of physical entities, processes, and laws in explaining all phenomena, including consciousness, thought, and experience. It asserts that everything ultimately boils down to matter and energy and that mental states are either identical to, or are caused by, physical states of the brain or body. Physicalism rejects dualism, idealism, and other views that posit the existence of non-physical substances or realms. This perspective often influences research and understanding within many sciences, as it aligns the findings with the study of the physical world.

Physicalistic meaning with examples

• A staunch physicalistic neuroscientist might argue that consciousness is merely a complex interplay of neural networks, leaving no room for a separate, non-physical 'soul'. They believe every thought, feeling, and sensation is exhaustively explained by physical brain function. Their research focuses on mapping the specific brain activities connected to human consciousness to prove their point.
• The physicalistic approach to biology leads researchers to examine the chemical and physical interactions within cells to understand life. Evolutionary theory, based on the natural selection of physically advantageous traits, is viewed through a physicalistic lens. This viewpoint emphasizes natural, material explanations for the origin and diversification of life on Earth.
• In artificial intelligence, a physicalistic program focuses on developing machines that mimic human intelligence through the manipulation of physical circuits and computational processes. A physicalistic AI developer believes that consciousness, sentience, and intelligence are products of sufficiently complex computation.
• A physicalistic philosopher attempts to explain free will by focusing on the physical laws that govern the brain. The argument is made that though the mind feels free in its decision making, this experience is purely a product of physical laws at work within the brain. These laws are predictable and deterministic.
• From a physicalistic viewpoint, a reductionist approach is favored. Complex phenomena are explained by breaking them down into their simpler physical components, rather than invoking immaterial or mystical entities to explain the behavior of nature. The entire universe, at its base, is understood with physical principles.