Naturalism

Overview: Naturalism is a broad philosophical view according to which reality should be understood in continuity with nature and with the methods of rational and empirical inquiry. In some uses, it means only methodological preference for natural explanations in science; in others, it designates a stronger metaphysical thesis according to which there is no need to posit supernatural entities in order to explain the world.

Origin and development: Naturalism has ancient antecedents in materialist and atomist currents, but assumed a more defined modern form with the advance of the natural sciences, modern philosophy, positivism, pragmatism, and various analytical and scientific currents from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. It does not constitute an institutional religion with a single founder, but rather a field of positions related by emphasis on natural explanation, continuity between humanity and nature, and critique of strong dualisms.

Central themes: Among its frequent themes are the rejection or suspension of supernatural explanatory appeals, confidence in empirical investigation, understanding of mind and life as parts of the natural world, morality developed in human and social contexts, fallibilism, critical revision, and appreciation of public knowledge. Some currents are more metaphysical; others remain only methodological and do not draw definitive conclusions about everything that exists.

Texts and authority: Naturalism has no sacred scripture. Its references come from philosophy of science, biology, physics, neuroscience, anthropology, naturalized epistemology, and essays in scientific culture. Authority is argumentative, revisable, and distributed.

Practices and diversity: In many cases, naturalism functions as an intellectual horizon rather than a ritual tradition. It may appear among scientists, philosophers, secular humanists, atheists, agnostics, and even religious people who adopt methodological naturalism in empirical research. There are important divergences among methodological naturalism, metaphysical naturalism, materialism, physicalism, emergentism, and more open forms of monism.

Debates: Naturalism is criticized by theistic, dualist, and idealist currents for allegedly reducing mind, value, consciousness, and transcendence too far. It also receives internal criticism when it turns into rigid scientism. In a comparative database, it is useful to distinguish naturalism from atheism, although they often coexist, and also from deism, which affirms a creator while still preserving part of the language of natural order.