Materialistic Concept of Life and Human Being Evolution: Are We More Than the Body?
Every child eventually asks it, usually without warning, usually at bedtime: "But why?" Why is the sky blue, why do people die, why am I me and not someone else. Most of us learn to stop asking out loud. The questions don't go away, though. They just wait.
That restlessness is what this article is about, and it sits at the center of the materialistic concept of life and human evolution as a subject. Is a human being just a very complicated arrangement of chemicals, alive until the arrangement breaks down? Or is there something else in the picture, something that doesn't dissolve when the body does? Let's work through both sides.
Curiosity and Knowledge
Every person wants to know the truth of whatever new thing comes in front of him. Man's curiosity leads him to mountains, rivers and seas. The entire secret of getting knowledge is satisfaction of curiosity. It is this immense desire of man to unveil the face of reality that motivates man to seek knowledge. The innate curiosity of humanity fuels the pursuit of knowledge, uncovering the secrets of reality and self-discovery.
Questions that arise in the thoughts of an individual can be classified into several kinds. But now we'll talk about the questions that every conscious human being has.
For example, echoing questions the essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) put in the mouth of a searching soul in his writing:
What am I?
What exactly is this universe's endless system?
What really is life?
What exactly is death?
What should my life motto be?
What should I do?
These are the questions that not only occur in the mind of every aware being, but also attempt to be answered.
One of the ideas about human life is that it is simply a form of matter. That the various ingredients came together by coincidence in a way that turned lifeless stuff into living matter. Man is said to be alive as long as this order is maintained, and life ends when this stability is disrupted by an accident. This is referred to as the material concept of life.
What Is the Materialistic Concept of Life?
The materialistic concept of life holds that a human being is purely physical matter, with no self beyond the body, and that life's purpose is limited to eating, drinking and pleasure. Success, in this view, is measured by wealth, however it's obtained.
According to the materialistic concept of life, the aim of life is to eat, drink, and have pleasure, which are basic human needs. The goal of life is to live a life of luxury. This way of living requires wealth. That's why anyone who gets wealth by any legal or illegal means, by avoiding the grip of the law, is considered successful in society, whereas someone who is unable to obtain wealth is regarded as a failure. This is a big part of what's explored further in Discovering Capitalism: Impact, Inequality, and Ethical Implications for a Sustainable Future.
Is a Human Being More Than the Physical Body? The Enigma of Human Self (Nafs)
The question now is whether human life is limited to the physical body, or if there is something else. It is not merely a theoretical question, but it has a significant basic relationship to life's concerns.
It is scientifically documented that a large number of cells in the human body are constantly lost and replaced by new cells, though the pace varies by tissue type, and some cells, such as most neurons, last a lifetime. This cycle of loss and renewal continues, and much of the body is gradually replaced over time.
It is evident that when I say "I," I do not mean my body, but something apart from my body, which is called the human self, or human personality (Nafs), and which is unaffected by physical changes. The human personality (Nafs), in this view, is not related to the material world in which every change continues. Rather, God blesses it with divine energy, and it gives man authority and will.
This divine energy is present in every human being, but only in a potential form. Through correct development, its potential abilities are gradually developed and manifested. This is known as growing oneself, or self-purification.
The Western Materialist Counterargument, and a Response
Western materialist thinkers deny the existence of this non-physical self and consider human life as limited to mere physical life. An argument for this is also presented: that the "human personality" or "I" (Nafs) is not a distinct thing, but only human memory. And since memory ends with death, nothing remains of a person after death.
This argument appears to be weighty, but upon reflection, a response emerges: the human being obviously carries out all its acts through the body. When I decide to do something, my body fulfills my intention, but if my body stops moving due to some disease or paralysis, then none of my decisions are applied to my body. Thus, by the stopping of the body's movement, we cannot declare that "human personality" or "I" (Nafs) has come to an end. Rather, we would state that the means (hands, feet, and so on) of expressing "human personality" or "I" (Nafs) have become flawed, despite the fact that the person or personality remains intact.
Are the Mind and Memory the Same as the Human Being?
No, in this view they aren't. The mind is the instrument through which a person expresses feelings and impressions, and memory is the record of them. If the instrument is damaged, the argument goes, the feelings themselves may remain even though they can no longer be expressed or recalled through it.
Because the memory or the mind itself is not the human being, the fact that the mind is damaged or disappears at death does not necessarily mean that the human being or human personality has also ended, on this view. It can be understood with an example: the mind is like an instrument through which the human being shows his feelings and impressions. Even if the mind is damaged, the feelings and impressions of the human being are said to still be there, but since the means of their expression has become unusable, we cannot perceive these impressions. And memory is the name of the record room of the feelings and impressions of the human being. Therefore, memory and mind are treated here as two different things. The mind is associated with the physical body, whereas memory, in this framework, is associated with the human being or self, which is non-physical because it is not impacted by physical changes.
Harmony of Purpose: Human Effort and Divine Design
Since the human being, self or ego manifests its energies through the body, the importance of the material body cannot be denied. According to the program set by God, man should subjugate the material things of the universe and keep the gains of his conquest open for the welfare and development of all mankind. The more a person strives for the welfare of all mankind according to the program set by God, the more expansion and stability is created in his personality.
Iqbal's Perspective: Good Deeds, Self-Purification and Human Growth
According to Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938), a good deed directly accelerates human growth and self-purification, whereas evil actions induce psychological disorientation and spiritual decay. Within this metaphysical framework, the human personality serves as the primary gauge for defining moral value. Denying the existence of the human self reduces existence to biological determinism, stripping accountability, divine faith, and judicial justice of their core meaning. Under strict materialism, human purpose collapses into physical survival and sensory gratification. Iqbal systematically addresses these existential dynamics in The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.
Does the Human Self Continue Beyond Physical Death?
The human personality, self, or ego (Nafs) operates independently of biological death. Internal intentions and physical actions continually imprint upon the human self. Every choice alters the structural integrity of the individual consciousness, regardless of active awareness.
This perpetual imprinting constitutes the immutable law of cause and effect—the record of human deeds. Physical dissolution terminates the biological interface, yet the core personality transcends material constraints into another dimension. Structural change in the physical medium does not destroy the originating entity.
Understanding the distinction between material form and the human self (Nafs) is essential. Mastering physical resources must serve a higher objective: advancing the collective welfare and ethical development of humanity. This continuous theme integrates directly with insights explored in Human Emotions, Desires and Intellect: Why Reason Alone Can't Bring Peace.
Materialism vs. the Human Self: Core Structural Differences
| Evaluation Metric | Materialistic View | Nafs (Human Self) View |
|---|---|---|
| Human Identity | Physical body and brain matter exclusively | Biological frame integrated with a non-physical self (Nafs) |
| Post-Death State | Complete cessation of existence | Persistence of the self beyond physical degradation |
| Memory Function | Memory constitutes total human identity | Memory functions as an information log, not the core self |
| Life Objective | Sensory gratification, material acquisition, wealth accumulation | Spiritual purification, moral elevation, service to humanity |
| Moral Baseline | Subjective societal constructs without absolute standards | Constructive expansion or degradation of the human personality |
Final Perspective on Materialism and Selfhood
Evaluating personal existence requires addressing a fundamental question: Is human consciousness bounded by physical biology, or does an underlying self outlast material decay? The materialist framework reduces existence to physical mechanics, while Iqbal’s philosophical architecture proves that human value rests on spiritual development.
This perspective connects with deeper inquiries detailed in The Essence of Human Life, Purpose, Challenges and The Path to a Peaceful Life alongside What Is the True Purpose of Human Life?.
Which framework reflects your personal experience of consciousness? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the materialistic concept of life?
The materialistic concept asserts that human life consists purely of physical matter. It denies any non-physical self (Nafs) and limits existence to sensory fulfillment, resource acquisition, and material wealth.
What is the meaning of Nafs in Islamic philosophy?
Nafs refers to the conscious self or human ego. It represents the central non-physical identity that experiences reality, retains accountability, and persists independently of biological decay.
Does biological cell replacement impact self-identity?
Biological cells regenerate constantly throughout human life, yet personal identity remains unbroken. This physical cycle demonstrates that human selfhood depends on an enduring core rather than static material cells.
How does Allama Iqbal define good and evil?
Allama Iqbal defines a good action as any deed that strengthens, expands, and purifies the human self. An evil action is anything that causes moral degradation, personality weakness, and spiritual disorientation.
Are human memory and the self identical?
No. Memory operates as an information record hosted via brain architecture, whereas the self (Nafs) is the conscious entity that interprets those records. Physical neural damage alters memory retrieval but does not destroy the underlying self.
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