Philosophical Materialism and Other Philosophical Concepts
Philosophical Materialism of Gustavo Bueno
Philosophical materialism, as defined by Gustavo Bueno, is a doctrine concerning the structure of reality. It is characterized by its opposition to both materialist monism (such as Diamat) and monistic idealism or spiritualism of a theological nature. It represents a form of rationalistic pluralism, positing the uniqueness of the world while developing a general ontology of matter that extends beyond the empirical world.
Philosophical materialism, in contrast to monism, denies continuity and, aligning with the doctrine of symploké, rejects the notion that “everything influences everything.” Conversely, against pluralistic atomism, it denies that “nothing influences anything.”
Three Genera of Materiality in Philosophical Materialism
The material world, according to this philosophy, is stratified into three genera (not separate worlds):
- Primogenérica Matter: This includes solid corporeal entities and incorporeal entities like electromagnetic waves.
- Segundogenérica Matter: This encompasses the operations of individuals, their projects, social or political plans, memories, desires, and wills.
- Terciogenérica Matter: This refers to relationships expressed in geometric theorems, such as the Pythagorean theorem.
The material world is organized into characteristic morphologies, the analysis of which is the primary objective of particular ontology.
Berkeley’s View on the Existence of Matter
George Berkeley posited that matter possesses “primary” qualities (e.g., quantity) and “secondary” qualities (e.g., color). He argued that these qualities do not exist independently of our senses, as evidenced by their variation from person to person.
Therefore, according to Berkeley, matter is merely a collection of subjective impressions existing solely in the mind. The physical world, in his view, is a subjective idea. In contemporary terms, reality is equivalent to information within the subject’s mind.
Pythagorean Dualism
Pythagoras of Samos (6th century BC) believed that humans are the result of a temporary union between a spiritual soul and a physical body. The soul, he claimed, originates not from this world but from a realm of souls, where it pre-existed before its embodiment. The soul’s union with a body is seen as a contamination, leading to its expulsion from the pure world of souls.
The soul’s purpose in this world is to cleanse itself of this stain through purification, achieved by living a philosophical life. A purified soul returns to the world of souls; otherwise, it transmigrates into another being, such as a chicken or a dog. Pythagoras, influenced by the earlier Orphic sect, introduced the concepts of the spiritual soul and original sin (derived from the notion of the stain) to Western thought.
Plato’s Three Substances
Plato (427-347 BC) proposed the existence of three distinct worlds or realities:
- The material world.
- The world of souls.
- The world of ideas (or intelligible world).
Each of these realities possesses unique qualities that grant it a degree of autonomy. Plato’s concept of the world of souls and the material world reflects Pythagorean influence. The world of souls is immaterial or incorporeal, while the material world is corporeal and occupies space. Both are present in humans, who are composed of soul and body.
However, Plato added a third world: the world of ideas. These ideas are not merely contents of our minds; they are objective realities existing independently in their own realm, beyond the celestial sphere. Souls encounter and incorporate these ideas before entering the material world. Therefore, ideas are not *produced* by the soul, but co-exist with it.