Objection of the Materialist

Objectification of the Materialist

Materialism wears an ugly face in society and is often denigrated for its vacuous pursuit of possessions to the detriment of spiritual fulfilment. But is it possible to derive understanding of the complexities of life and reduce these complications to simple abstractions through physicalism? 

“Does the accumulation of physical objects proportionally correlate to the happiness we derive from this material accruement. Research would seem to prove that this is not the case”.

( Journal of Consumer Research )

So what then drives us to crave material goods if they are simply a catalyst for loneliness, jealousy, inadequacy and selfishness ?

Is it possible to foster an healthy relationship with possessions ?

Marie Kondo certainly believes so with her popularist formula for materialistic possession gathering and organisation. She is something of a modern day phenomenon driven by a societal need to rationalise and understanding the concept of ownership. Her theories, seemingly deceptively simplistic, are a product of our contemporary societies urge for an understanding of the relationship between possessions and added life value.

Added to this, is the way we now define ourselves…. through physicality? Our only reality has become manifest in matter, to the exclusion, and some may proffer detriment, of spirituality. Is it the fear of the nonexistence of anything beyond the state of being which drives our want for the physical object? 

Further to this is the discussion surrounding the concept of design purely for the enhancement of materialistic fulfilment and beyond that of the purely functional.

If we seek what lies behind the physicality of matter alone then is what we seek justification of our presence and a definition what is the individual?

 By amassing, collecting arranging and presenting our objects we construct a mechanism to define our personality, a tool with which to project that definition upon society and communicate our self to others. 

If indeed we strip away these signifiers which separate us from the animal kingdom and other living things then it renders us the same as the horse, the fox or the parrot.

As a person devoid of objects we are left naked and without meaning or soul. Does that not then constitute one of the true meanings of materialism ? The rejection of theism.

 The human ability to set us apart from other animals is the innate ability to make things to satisfy our desires. It is this drive for objects of desire which requires social constructs and cooperation. It renders us different through conscious thought and the capacity to formulate ideas and plans.  

How then does it follow that social cooperation and interaction should result in loneliness and isolation?

These questions are posed, and the thinking behind the tryptic of images constructed by Nic Gaunt in the Objectification of the Materialist.