Naturalism (philosophy)

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In philosophy, naturalism is the position that only natural laws and forces (as opposed to supernatural ones) operate in the universe. According to naturalism, the causes of all phenomena are to be found within the universe and not transcendental factors beyond it. In its primary sense, it is also known as ontological naturalism, metaphysical naturalism, pure naturalism, philosophical naturalism and antisupernaturalism. "Ontological" refers to ontology, the philosophical study of what exists. Philosophers often treat naturalism as equivalent to physicalism or materialism, but there are important distinctions between the philosophies. For example, philosopher Paul Kurtz argued that nature is best accounted for by reference to material principles. These principles include mass, energy, and other physical and chemical properties accepted by the scientific community. Further, in this primary sense, naturalism holds that spirits, deities, and ghosts are not real and that there is no "purpose...

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