Weaknesses of Materialism

There are some problems and weaknesses associated with the eliminative materialism. Most notable is its approach to the body and mind that out rightly ignores the significance of material culture and its obvious effects on human beings' daily encounters.

This puts the credibility of the proponents of the eliminative materialism at an awkward position considering the fact some philosophers like Bruno Latour argues that it not possible for a reductionist scientist to be essentially reductive. It is argued that the thin line walked by Churchland and crew is one that does conform to critics view that eliminative materialism disregard for material culture makes positions it wrongly for amending the folk psychology and like any other dream becomes unreachable just like it is not possible to be alive without a body.

Unlike the disregard that eliminative materialism holds against material culture, this notion is very impactful in discussing the body and the mind. In the notion of material culture, the term qualia defines anything that could not be any more familiar; it is the way we view things according to how we have been experiencing them. Philosophically, speaking, it is easier to understand terms accompanied by examples than the crude manner in which we would want to define them.

As such our states of mind are far influenced by issues that our bodies have experienced in the past than mere talk of facts that our bodies have not yet experienced.When we view images like a cup of tea simmering our future references on cups maybe influenced by this qualia. Again when we experience sounds we like or dislike they become our auditory qualia. There can never be anything that is more vivid than an individual's qualia.

An individual's qualia is made of different conscious and unconscious properties that constitute one's sole view of the world. Even if the rest of the world is an illusion defined by utmost obscurity, our qualia becomes the solace in understanding the world since what we know and have experienced can never change in our minds.