Essays on Materialism

Reductive materialism, a form of Physicalism, argues that mental sensations correspond precisely to physical activities occurring in the brain. This means that every thought or experience can be identified as brain activity. However, it does not imply that the mind and brain are identical; rather, they offer distinct perspectives on the same phenomenon. For instance,…

The Modern Age of British Literature was in some ways a rebellion against the Victorian ideals of extravagancy. a perspective brought on by the rough world of World War I. The scarceness of resources combined with blunt images of the war influenced authors to reprobate the nobility for their inordinate self-indulgence. In DH Lawrence’s “The…

“To say that humans are social creatures is about as newsworthy as saying that we breathe. Our lives unfold in a social matrix that is both deep and wide, and our interactions with other people and the culture at large affect our personalities and behavior in many ways” (Kasser). In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451,…

Stephen Butler Leacock, a Canadian political scientist and a writer, has once said, ‘Advertising can be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.’ In today’s generation, children often get “arrested” by these media advertisements that are aimed to sell products. According to a study conducted by…

In political science, a form of process tracing known as “path dependence” has often been defined by researchers with different academic backgrounds resulting in unclear meanings that make it difficult for students to understand. While many scholars have properly applied the concept, particularly in case study research, it remains one of the most important theories…

Our generation lives in the best timeline of history, yet some critical issues exist which are too remarkable to disregard; think about how today’s generation has an affinity toward money and how their obsession with possession of expensive things is growing day by day. Oftentimes the youth today are more attached to the idea that…

The society described by Saul Bellow in his novel Seize the Day is overloaded by materialism, which creates lose to the ordinary people of fate. Tommy Wilhelm protagonist of the novel who is jobless and asks help from his father who is a retired doctor, he always denies helping his son because he wants him…

As soon as Halloween is over, it seems as though the holiday season is thrust upon us. Although this time of year is debatably my favorite, it can quickly become overwhelming and stressful—especially for my bank account. Like many others during the holiday season, I enjoy gifting presents and seeing the smiles on the faces…

Materialism abandons the more traditional view of our inner consciousness. It also doubts the idea of an immaterial soul. In the 1600s, Thomas Hobbes became inspired by the advances of science. He was curious about the world around and wondered if it was everything. From his work, principles like Reductionism came to light. Gilbert Ryle’s…

Introduction It is quite evident to all of us that our way of life has rapidly changed in the last few decades. We are richer, are living longer, racism and gender discrimination are not as prevalent anymore; overall the world is a much nicer place to live in that it was 50 years ago. But…