Materialism Quote by Angus Menuge
““Scientific materialism is neither an implication nor a presupposition of doing science. Rather it is a metaphysical and sometimes religious stance that some people have toward science.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Skeptical Inquirer, 2015
Science does not require a materialist worldview; that stance is a separate philosophical choice.
In simple terms: Science is method, not belief.
Key Takeaway
Separate scientific method from personal metaphysics.
Themes
science
philosophy
methodology
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
explanatory
inquisitive
When to use this quote
- research labs
- education policy
- public discourse
- personal belief formation
Key Concepts
empiricism
ontology
belief systems
Questions to Reflect On
- What assumptions do you bring to scientific work?
A Different Perspective
Can a non‑materialist still practice rigorous science?
![“[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion, why do you not believe in materialistic science, which has an unparalleled record of fulfilled prophecy? Consider, for example, eclipses.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/875/carl-sagan-160_belief_when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-a_25095.jpg)
![“If we do want to do that [ colonise space to survive, ], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8c5/quentin-s-crisp-4149_enough_if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space_40648.jpg)
![“[Materialism] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism, to chemism, to polarity, to the vegetable and to the animal kingdom. And if we suppose this to have been done, the last link in the chain would be…” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88c/arthur-schopenhauer-226_animal-kingdom_materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-s_50402.jpg)