For a New Materialism

Abstract

This paper critically examines the contemporary revival of materialism by questioning both the classical materialist ontology of modernity and its recent reformulations under the label of “new materialism.” It argues that the modern concept of matter, far from being concrete, is a highly abstract construction closely tied to the epistemology of naturalism and to the dialectic between matter and mind characteristic of modern philosophy. Attempts to overcome materialism by opposing it to spirit or by attributing quasi-subjective properties to matter are shown to remain trapped within the same conceptual framework, often resulting in theoretical paradoxes or postmodern folklorism. Drawing on a critical engagement with contemporary debates —speculative realism, new materialisms, and new realisms— the paper contends that enriching the concept of matter by theoretical fiat leads to anthropomorphism rather than genuine ontological innovation. Instead, it proposes rethinking materialism not as a new theory of matter, but as an inquiry into the concrete transformations of materiality in contemporary forms of life, especially under conditions of technological mediation, virtualization, and simulation.