Characteristics of Materialism in Ancient Indian Philosophy

Along with the philosophical schools with rich and diverse characteristics and tendencies in ancient Indian philosophy, there was a philosophical trend with atheistic materialism, called “Six heretical teachers”, in which the most typical was the Lokàyata or Càrvàka school, with its unique characteristics. It can be said that materialism in ancient Indian philosophy in general and the Lokāyata school in particular stand out with three characteristics: one is simple and primitive materialism; two is radical materialism, and three is atheistic materialism, clearly expressed in their worldview, outlook on life, and epistemology.