NUDISTS come in varying degrees. Some just like the feeling of being nude. For others, it's a politically charged movement, where they feel that the practice of communal nudity encourages self-respect, respect for others, and the environment. Depending on where you are in the world, the terminologies can be different. There are nudists, naturists, clothes-free... but they all have the same philosophy: it is their right to be naked. And universally in these communities, it is understood that the practice of being nude can be practiced without a sexual component.
If you have never skinny-dipped or laid out in the sun au naturel, you are really missing something!