What does naturalism claim about the reality of the universe?

• A. The mind creates reality.
• B. The supernatural exists.
• C. Reality is an illusion.
• D. The natural, physical, material universe is the only reality.

Answer: (D)

Naturalism holds that the natural, physical universe is all that exists and that everything we study can be explained by natural causes and laws. In this view, reality is real and knowable without supernatural explanations, and even mental states are physical processes in the brain that science can investigate. This is why the statement that the natural, physical, material universe is the only reality is the best description. In Earth science, we rely on natural explanations and empirical evidence to understand phenomena like earthquakes, weather, and climate, not supernatural causes. The other ideas—that the mind creates reality, that the supernatural exists, or that reality is an illusion—don’t fit naturalism because they either invoke non-natural sources, deny the existence of a real world that science can study, or claim reality isn’t as it appears to be.