But what is the source of this consciousness? Is it a product of our brains, or does it transcend the physical realm? Is it a unique property of living organisms, or is it a fundamental aspect of the universe that pervades all matter?
These questions were the focus of a recent workshop at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where philosophers and physicists gathered to discuss panpsychism, the view that consciousness is not a rare or emergent phenomenon, but a basic and universal feature of reality that is present in every particle and system.
According to panpsychism, consciousness is not something
that arises from complex arrangements of matter, but something that is
inherent to matter itself. It is a fundamental property of reality, like
mass or charge, that has always existed and is woven into the very
fabric of the universe....<<<Read More>>>...