Annie Besant

Science regards man as an aggregation of atoms temporarily united by a mysterious force called the life-principle. To the materialist, the only difference between a living and a dead body is that in the one case that force is active, in the other latent.

English Philosopher

Scott Derrickson

I wasn't born into a religious home, but I was just not a materialist. I didn't believe the material world was all there was or, even, most of what there was. I always felt that I was part of a reality of which the majority was unseen.

American Director

A. N. Wilson

Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations' for our mysterious human existence simply won't do - on an intellectual level.

English Writer

Eric Metaxas

There was a time when 'science' meant the systematic pursuit of knowledge through experimentation and observation. But it's rapidly becoming a synonym for progressive politics and materialist philosophy.

American Author

Michael J. Knowles

A materialist age makes neurotics of those who measure their life in minutes. Teetotalling totalitarians know the cost of life, but not the value.

Phillip E. Johnson

To philosophical materialists God is no more than an idea in the human mind, and not a very important idea.

American Educator

Wole Soyinka

We live in a materialist world, and materialism appeals so strongly to humanity, no matter where.

Nigerian Dramatist

Malcolm de Chazal

The idealist walks on tiptoe, the materialist on his heels.

French Writer

Christopher Hitchens

I think the materialist conception of history is valid.

Fidel Castro

Sorry, I'm still a dialectical materialist.

Statesman

In cultures valuing spiritualism, labeling someone a 'materialist' might carry negative connotations.

Cultural Perspective

'Materialist' doesn't simply mean greedy; it emphasizes the preference for material goods over spiritualism.

Not just greedy

While 'materialist' can be critical, it can also simply describe someone's lifestyle or worldview without moral judgment.

Nuanced Usage

'Materialist' has a specific meaning in philosophy related to the nature of reality and existence.

Philosophical Domain

The term is often associated with scientific approaches to understanding human behavior and the mind.

Scientific Explanations

'Materialist' viewpoints often contrast with religious or spiritual explanations in intellectual discussions.

Intellectual Debate

 as the world becomes safer and we don't have to worry about basic needs being met -- our biological system, whatever motivates us, is being satisfied -- we can rise above them, to think beyond ourselves toward self-actualization or transcendence, and rise above the materialist.

Nancy Etcoff: Happiness...

 system that whatever motivates us is being satisfied we can rise above them to think beyond ourselves towards self-actualization or transcendence and rise above the materialist so just quickly conclude with some brief data that suggests this might be so one is