I think I want to think that people like me are better equipped to handle these things. So it'd be interesting to study in some rigorous, quantitative way whether the connection between materialism or physicalism or naturalism and humane treatment of other human beings is just a coincidence. There's a lot of evidence that pro-social behavior correlates strongly with religious belief. Lots of us who aren't religious may forget that actually a lot of really important charity work that's done in this world is done by people with very strong religious commitment.
Reality is a tricky thing. Is love real? What about the number 5? This is clearly a job for a philosopher, and James Ladyman is one of the world’s acknowledged experts. He and his collaborators have been championing a view known as “structural realism,” in which real things are those that reflect true, useful patterns in the underlying reality. We talk about that, but also about a couple of other subjects in the broad area of philosophy of science: the history and current status of materialism/physicalism, and the nature of complex systems. This is a deep one. Support Mindscape on Patreon or Paypal. James Ladyman obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds, and is currently a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Bristol. He has worked broadly within the philosophy of science, including issues of realism, empiricism, physicalism, complexity, and information. His book Everything Must Go (co-authored with Don Ross) has become an influential work on the relationship between metaphysics and science. Web page Everything Must Go Academia.edu page PhilPeople profile Conversation with Raymond Tallis Structural Realism at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
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