Physicalism is a philosophical position holding that everything which exists is no more extensive than its physical properties; that is, that there are no kinds of things other than physical things. The term was coined by Otto Neurath in a series of early 20th century essays on the subject, in which he wrote:

"According to physicalism, the language of physics is the universal language of science and, consequently, any knowledge can be brought back to the statements on the physical objects."

In contemporary philosophy physicalism is most frequently associated with philosophy of mind, in particular the mind/body problem, in which it holds that the mind is a physical thing in all aspects. In other words, all that has been ascribed to "mind" is more correctly ascribed to "brain". Physicalism is also called "materialism", but the term "physicalism" is preferable because it has evolved with the physical sciences to incorporate far more sophisticated notions of physicality than matter, for example wave/particle relationships and non-material forces produced by particles.

The ontology of physicalism ultimately includes whatever is described by physics — not just matter but energy, space, time, physical forces, structure, physical processes, information, state, etc. Because it claims that only physical things exist, physicalism is generally a form of monism.

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Fri Sep 3 08:39:48 2010

Mind-Body problem physicalism?
Q. What would be some good counter-points to my argument: Of all the theories to explain the mind, I think physicalism is the best. I think that all other theories of the mind such as substance dualism comes from a sheer disbelief that [brain] cells can do what they do. All this talk about how "oh but I am conscious, and I feel feelings, and I simply can't be just a bunch of cells..." is just non-sense. Just because we do not have a good brain theory yet to explain consciousness, doesn't mean we have to dive into the metaphysical realm.
Asked by Rachel (aka bubbles) - Tue Nov 17 22:01:00 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. To me, there are no good counter arguments. Your assessment is the only correct one, imho.
Answered by robertminidriver - Wed Nov 18 10:34:08 2009

Thomas Nagel: What Is it like to be a bat?
Q. I have a college paper due and Im stuck..If you have any information that would help please help!!! I am supposed to explain why thomas nagel says that experience does not hav ean objective nature and why he considers this a refutation of physicalism...Please help!!
Asked by Brooke - Tue Dec 15 11:58:44 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments
is the following argument sound or unsound. If it is unsound please explain which premise(s) casue it to be?
Q. P1) Numbers are not physical objects but rather abstract ideas. P2) If Physicalism is true, abstract ideas such as numbers do not exist. P3) Numbers do exist objectively. P4) Therefore, abstract ideas do exist objectively. ___ C1) In this case, physicalism must be false. which premises are doubtful or incorrect? physicalism is the idea that matter/energy is all that exist. The above argument is a defense of dualism
Asked by SgtPepper - Tue Oct 14 11:30:39 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. An argument should be a logical sequence and yours is not. What you are trying to prove is p3. Numbers do exist objectively. So you need premises that support your idea and, consequently, invalidate the conclusions of Physicalism.
Answered by Fromafar - Tue Oct 14 14:35:40 2008

From Yahoo Answer Search: "Physicalism"
Fri Sep 3 08:39:57 2010

The Mind Body Problem: Dualism Reloaded - Robots.net
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The Mind Body Problem: Dualism Reloaded

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In some cases, these arguments are motivated by religious conservatives who see the alternatives as a threat (eg physicalism , functionalism, ...
A fair discourse - Express Buzz
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A fair discourse

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Sen's emphasis on pluralism is a refreshing change from the dominant physicalism of the 20th century. For too long have Westerners believed that all of ...

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state transitions induced by microscopic fluctuations Walter J Freeman in Societies of Brains A Study in the Neuroscience of Love and Hate Lawrence Erlbaum 1995 pp 104

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