MATERIALISM The theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists matter.

It can also be defined as preoccupying one importance with the material world. Nothing else matters except the world and religious view is strictly not taken into account. Everything that is not physical and material such as the hereafter is not accepted in materialism theory. Furthermore, in Materialism, the existence of God or Gods, angels and other metaphysical matter is rejected. It is a simple theory of, seeing is believing. The early theory of materialism is propagated in the early years from 550 BC and expanding to the 21st Century itself. Furthermore, Materialism and its theories can be traced as far back as the poem The Nature of Things, written in the first century B.C. by Lucretius. Other defining works include The System of Nature by Paul d'Holbach, Force and Matter by Ludwig Buchner, and the more recent research done by Richard Vitzthum, An Affirmative History and Definition (1996). Through these researches and theories, the concept materialism is believed even in the early days and used until now. The characteristics of materialism is all knowledge of the world and of society must be based on sense experience and ultimately on science and facts. Besides that, like positivism, materialism lays stress on science as the only legitimate source of knowledge about the world. Materialism has its own pros and cons. The advantage of materialism theory is, everything is based on scientific researches and facts, which means that everything is believable with references. On the other hand, the disadvantages of materialism are, it is not accepted and opposed by many religions in the world such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Materialism is the concept of encouraging everything material and it is clearly unsafe. It is dangerous even can be self-destructive and considered as a wrong view in Buddhism. In Islam itself, it does not support all-out worldly materialism, but it teachings is to encourage a balance of worldly and the hereafter qualities. By balancing both the qualities, the purpose of a Muslim as a caliph in the world is achieved.