How I Freed My Mind From The Cult of Materialism

How I Freed My Mind From The Cult of Materialism

It is a curious fact that we have successfully used our minds to penetrate profound secrets of the physical universe; but when it comes to grasping the nature of our minds, we are baffled.[i] This is the famous mind-body problem, the “hard” problem being to account for our consciousness, which is utterly unlike anything physical.  The mind, it seems, has a hard time trying to understand itself.

In this essay, I describe how I evolved my view of the subject, which is deeply at odds with mainstream physicalism.  Without putting a label on my view, there were two kinds of crucial step I had to take, theoretical and empirical.

Does the philosophy of materialism work to destroy our identities, experience, and environment? Join narrator Daphne Ellis on a radical romp through the evidence and decide for yourself.

"Very well done. A visual treat with its heart in the right place and a clear point of view."
Peter Davis - Academy Award-winning Director of "Hearts and Minds".

"Handsomely assembled and narrated with articulate insight, Escape! From the Cult of Materialism is an intelligent and thought-provoking film." - TopDocumentaryFilms.com

Referenced Research:

The preference for experiences over possessions: Measurement and construct validation of the Experiential Buying Tendency Scale 
Ryan T. Howell, Paulina Pchelina and Ravi Iyerb
The Journal of Positive Psychology Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2012, 57–71

The mediators of experiential purchases: Determining the impact of psychological needs satisfaction and social comparison
Ryan T. Howell and Graham Hill
The Journal Of Positive Psychology Vol. 4 , Iss. 6,2009

Experientialism, Materialism, and the Pursuit of Happiness 
Leaf Van Boven University of Colorado at Boulder
Review of General Psychology 2005, Vol. 9, No. 2, 132–142

The Influence of Materialistic Values on Consumers’ Pro-Envrionmental Post-Purchase Behavior. 
Tilikidou, I. and Delistavrou, A.
In: Cron, W.L. and Low, G.S. (Eds.) Marketing Theory
and Applications, Proceedings of the 2004 American Marketing Association Winter Educators’Conference, vol. 15, Chicago IL., A.M.A., pp. 42-49

Media, Materialism, and Human Happiness 
Marsha L. Richins (1987) Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds. Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research: 352-356

How Social Influence Mediates Media Effects on Adolescents’ Materialism.
Stella C. Chia
Communication Research 2010; 37; 400 originally published online Apr 7, 2010

Materialism as an attempt to cope with uncertainty.
Chang, L. and Arkin, R. M. (2002),
Psychol. Mark., 19: 389–406. doi:10.1002/mar.10016

Interesting.

Struck a nerve on something I've been pondering lately. With the continued march of technology forward, I can envision a time (not too far off from now) where energy is ubiquitous (e.g., solar) and material to mold with this energy is abundant as well (e.g., 3d printers, drones moving raw materials, etc.). As many who have thought about this at levels beyond me have discussed, things like a UBI could come into play.

My thought has been: If materialistic objects, both necessities and luxuries, are abundant and virtually "free" how would society react? I mean those who seek power for power's sake would need to do what? There'd be no money to control; no energy; nothing material. Other people would not be reliant upon other people in the traditional power/powerless model. Are we even wired to survive in such a fanciful world?

I wouldn't underestimate our ability to contrive some form of power based competition.
Hell, some of us apparently are still fixated on skin pigmentation.

I wouldn't underestimate  our ability  to contrive some form of power based competition.
Hell, some of us apparently are still fixated on skin pigmentation.

Agreed.  I just can't think of a good example.

Say there are two worlds, identical in every way.  There is nothing on World Beta that isn't also on/available on World Alpha.  People on both planets have access to unlimited energy and the same technology and the same levels of natural resources.  Everything is in abundance if you will.

What would ever prompt people on Alpha (or Beta) to vie for power over other humans or other worlds?

I'm sure someone can come up with something.  I just struggle with the word "power" in a world of near complete abundance.

Given those parameters, my inclination would be to completely agree. But this little voice in my head keeps reminding me of the bumper sticker that reads. Where am i going and why am I in this handbasket?

Given that the afterlife probably has no need for money or material possessions, there is nevertheless probably some kind of manifested reality for those who believe there must be a power struggle. That would also include those who believe they must be dominated and subservient.