NUDISTS come in varying degrees. Some just like the feeling of being nude, while 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 that 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!