An easy/obvious example of a material thing would be a rock. It is a physical object made up of matter and occupies space in the physical world.
An easy/obvious example of an immaterial thing would be a thought or an idea. Thoughts and ideas do not have physical substance and cannot be perceived through the senses. They exist in the realm of the mind or consciousness.
Now, let's consider something that is difficult to categorize. One example could be consciousness itself. Consciousness is the subjective experience of awareness, but its nature and origin are still topics of debate in philosophy. It is not a physical object like a rock, but it is also not purely immaterial like a thought or an idea. It is a phenomenon that emerges from complex interactions in the brain, yet it cannot be reduced to purely physical processes. Categorizing consciousness presents a challenge because it seems to bridge the gap between the material and immaterial domains.
Regarding Epicurus' view on which being is more real, he would consider material beings, such as the rock, as more fundamentally real than immaterial beings, such as thoughts or ideas. Epicurus was a materialist philosopher who believed that all reality is composed of atoms and void. According to his philosophy, only material objects composed of atoms and interacting in the physical world are truly real. He denied the existence of immaterial entities like souls or gods, considering them as products of superstition and human fear.
