what are some advantages and disadvantages to materialism?

Answer 1

"Materialism" is a word with multiple meanings.

If you mean "materialism as opposed to dualism", the chief advantages were laid out fifty years ago by Gilbert Ryle in "The Concept of Mind". First of all, dualism supposes that a nonmaterial "thing" (the mind, or soul, if you prefer) can causally interact with a material thing. That seems impossible, and even if it isn't, we have no idea how it could do so, and no idea how to even investigate it. It's apparently a dead-end. Materialism avoids that rather serious problem.

We also have no idea how to investigate how that nonmaterial "thing" works within itself, so dualist attempts to explain cognition and emotion run into a second dead-end there. We do understand quite a bit about how matter and energy work, so it's possible to investigate cognition and emotion within a materialist assumption.

I can't think of any disadvantages of materialism as compared with dualism. Among people who study cognition and emotion, the notion of a "mind" or "soul" is completely dead and buried, for the reasons I described above.

Later: I see everyone else assumed that you meant the other meaning of "materialism". I don't see any sense in that kind of materialism either, though the "god" stuff is obviously false and therefore not a good reason to answer one way or the other.

Answer 2

In America, at least, the advantage of materialism is that the average person can enjoy spending beyond his means.

The disadvantage is that the average person spends beyond his means.

Answer 3

NO advantage in materialism.

Everything Heavenly, including God, is the Only thing worth putting your hope in.

Answer 4

materialism is selfish..... hell even the neo cons know that.

Answer 5

convenience and inconvenience.