But he's not talking about humanity.

in any case, I prefer an agnostic approach to asserting some view. It may help you, Selena, Laurence, and others, let go of some of the abstract concepts that make this confusing.

What do you know most directly?

Conscious experience.

All the rest is supposition.

Now, I'm content if you wish to conclude that atheism or physicalism or naturalism is the 'ultimate view.'

But at least, acknowledge - there is no possible way, using current scientific (ie third person) methodology, to even provide evidence for this, much less proof.

No evidence for anything existing outside consciousness.

Be careful. I know that previous sentence sounds utterly absurd. I had daily conversations on a 600 member list of physicists, biologists, neuroscientists, philosophers, etc - most having published in peer reviewed journals - for 8 years (part of the "Journal of Consciousness Studies" group.

Not one was able to answer the question as to how one would provide evidence for standalone existence of pure matter (or physical, if you want to recognize the immaterial nature of many of the fundamental discoveries of modern physics)

not one.

So please, take time to think through what Casper is saying, not from the view that it is THE view but rather, that to be truly scientific, we must be agnostic with regard to the nature of reality and not dismiss the only thing we know directly, consciousness (not necessarily human consciousness!!)