Naturalism is a philosophical approach that interprets philosophical problems as tractable through the methods of the empirical sciences or at least without a distinctively a priori project of theorizing. It is the idea that only natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that spirits, deities, and ghosts are not real. Naturalism is often used interchangeably with materialism, which is the belief that everything in the universe is made up of matter and energy.
There are different types of naturalism, including ontological naturalism, metaphysical naturalism, pure naturalism, philosophical naturalism, and antisupernaturalism. Ontological naturalism refers to the philosophical study of what exists, while metaphysical naturalism is a stronger formulation of naturalism that holds that there is no "purpose" in nature.
In philosophy, naturalism rejects the claim that philosophy has a special status and that it can achieve knowledge distinct from that attained by the special sciences. Instead, naturalism assigns a key role to the methods and results of the empirical sciences in solving philosophical problems.
It is important to note that naturalism can also refer to a literary movement that emerged in the late 19th century, in which writers focused on exploring the fundamental causes for their characters actions and beliefs.
