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The Physicalist

/θə ˈfɪzɪkəlɪst/ The traditionalist who believes "real" history requires atoms.
Definition The archetype of the traditional scholar or archaeologist who suffers from the Physicalist's Fallacy. They are obsessed with tangible remains (pottery, stone, bones) and apply sophisticated digital tools (LiDAR, 3D Scanning) only to physical sites like Pompeii, while completely ignoring the digital-born ruins of the internet.

The Blindness of Matter

The Physicalist is not anti-technology; they are often heavy users of it. But they use technology only to document the physical world. To them, a GeoCities page is "less real" than a Roman coin because it cannot be held. This bias leads to a distorted historical record where physical trivia is preserved while digital culture faces mass extinction.

Field Notes

The "Great Shift": We are seeing a "Great Shift" in archaeology where digital tools are everywhere, but digital subjects are nowhere. The Physicalist scans the stones but ignores the ghosts.
The Contrast: The Physicalist digs in the dirt. The Archaeobytologist digs in the data. Both are valid, but only one is currently recognized as "serious" science by most institutions.
Stratigraphy (Related Concepts)
Physicalist's Fallacy The Archaeologist's Blind Spot Pompeii GeoCities